Open AccessSubmicron drops from flapping bursting bubbles
Author(s) -
Xinghua Jiang,
Lucas Rotily,
Emmanuel Villermaux,
Xiaofei Wang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2112924119
Subject(s) - bubble , bursting , mechanics , drop (telecommunication) , flapping , aerosol , physics , materials science , meteorology , thermodynamics , engineering , electrical engineering , wing , neuroscience , biology
Significance Bubble bursting aerosols play a critical role in forming clouds, scattering sunlight, and transporting pathogens from water to the air. Most of them are produced from the fragmentation of bubble cap film. They usually have a diameter below 1 μm. However, their physical production mechanism has remained unknown. In this work, we discovered that these drops are probably generated from flapping bubble cap film (like a flapping flag). It explains the mysterious relation between bubble size and number of drops produced per bubble, providing a fundamental framework for understanding the production flux of bubble bursting aerosols, such as sea spray aerosol, and substance transfer through the air–water interface during drop ejection.