Crown Splash

When a falling drop hits a thin layer of water, the impact sends up a thin, crown-shaped splash. This research poster shows a numerical simulation of such a splash in the throes of various instabilities. The crown’s thick edges are undergoing a Rayleigh-Plateau instability, breaking into droplets much the way a dripping faucet does. On the far side, the crown has rapidly expanding holes that pull back and collide. The still-intact liquid sheet at the base of the crown shows some waviness, as well, hinting at a growing instability there. (Image credit: L. Kahouadji et al.)