It is well-known that a soap film spanning a looped wire can have the topology of a Möbius strip and that deformations of the wire can induce a transformation to a two-sided film, but the process by which this transformation is achieved has remained unknown. Experimental studies presented here show that this process consists of a collapse of the film toward the boundary that produces a previously unrecognized finite-time twist singularity that changes the linking number of the film’s Plateau border and the centerline of the wire. We conjecture that it is a general feature of this type of transition that the singularity always occurs at the surface boundary. The change in linking number is shown to be a consequence of a viscous reconnection of the Plateau border at the moment of the singularity. High-speed imaging of the collapse dynamics of the film’s throat, similar to that of the central opening of a catenoid, reveals a crossover between two power laws. Far from the singularity, it is suggested that the collapse is controlled by dissipation within the fluid film surrounding the wire, whereas closer to the transition the power law has the classical form arising from a balance between air inertia and surface tension. Analytical and numerical studies of minimal surfaces and ruled surfaces are used to gain insight into the energetics underlying the transition and the twisted geometry in the neighborhood of the singularity. A number of challenging mathematical questions arising from these observations are posed.

Goldstein, R., Moffatt, H., Pesci, A., Ricca, R. (2010). Soap-film Möbius strip changes topology with a twist singularity. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 107(51), 21979-21984 [10.1073/pnas.1015997107].

Soap-film Möbius strip changes topology with a twist singularity

RICCA, RENZO
2010

Abstract

It is well-known that a soap film spanning a looped wire can have the topology of a Möbius strip and that deformations of the wire can induce a transformation to a two-sided film, but the process by which this transformation is achieved has remained unknown. Experimental studies presented here show that this process consists of a collapse of the film toward the boundary that produces a previously unrecognized finite-time twist singularity that changes the linking number of the film’s Plateau border and the centerline of the wire. We conjecture that it is a general feature of this type of transition that the singularity always occurs at the surface boundary. The change in linking number is shown to be a consequence of a viscous reconnection of the Plateau border at the moment of the singularity. High-speed imaging of the collapse dynamics of the film’s throat, similar to that of the central opening of a catenoid, reveals a crossover between two power laws. Far from the singularity, it is suggested that the collapse is controlled by dissipation within the fluid film surrounding the wire, whereas closer to the transition the power law has the classical form arising from a balance between air inertia and surface tension. Analytical and numerical studies of minimal surfaces and ruled surfaces are used to gain insight into the energetics underlying the transition and the twisted geometry in the neighborhood of the singularity. A number of challenging mathematical questions arising from these observations are posed.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Contact line; Topological transition;
English
2010
107
51
21979
21984
open
Goldstein, R., Moffatt, H., Pesci, A., Ricca, R. (2010). Soap-film Möbius strip changes topology with a twist singularity. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 107(51), 21979-21984 [10.1073/pnas.1015997107].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/100186
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