Suppression of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability of thin liquid films by the Marangoni effect

Abstract

Stabilization of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability of a thin liquid film by the Marangoni effect arising from heating of the liquid at the gas-liquid interface in a bilayer setting is investigated. Solution of time-dependent Navier-Stokes and long-wave evolution equations in both two and three dimensions shows the emergence of nontrivial nonruptured steady states in the system when the applied temperature gradient exceeds a certain critical value.