Two-dimensional Droplet Research Articles

Pendent steady rivulets and droplets: from lubrication to bifurcation

Abstract We consider the shape of the free surface of steady pendent rivulets (or equivalently, two-dimensional droplets) beneath a planar substrate. We formulate the governing equations in terms of two closely related dynamical systems and use classical phase-plane techniques, in particular time maps, to analyse the bifurcation structure of the problem. Our results explain why lubrication theory is unable to capture this bifurcation structure for pendent rivulets, although it is successful in the related problem of sessile rivulets.

Data-driven two-dimensional stationary quantum droplets and wave propagations in the amended Gross–Pitaevskii equation with two potentials via deep neural networks learning

In this paper, we develop a systematic deep learning approach to solve two-dimensional stationary quantum droplets (QDs) and investigate their wave propagation in the two-dimensional amended Gross–Pitaevskii equation with Lee–Huang–Yang correction and two kinds of potentials. Firstly, we use the initial-value iterative neural network algorithm for two-dimensional stationary QDs of stationary equations. Then, the learned stationary QDs are used as the initial value conditions for physics-informed neural networks to explore their evolutions in the space-time region. Especially, we consider two types of potentials, one is the two-dimensional quadruple-well Gaussian potential and the other is the P T -symmetric harmonic-oscillator (HO)-Gaussian potential, which lead to spontaneous symmetry breaking and the generation of multi-component QDs. The used deep learning method can also be applied to study wave propagations of other nonlinear physical models.

Theory of wetting dynamics with surface binding

Abstract Biomolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids, can phase separate in the cytoplasm of cells to form biomolecular condensates. Such condensates are often liquid-like droplets that can wet biological surfaces such as membranes. Many molecules that participate in phase separation can also reversibly bind to membrane surfaces. When a droplet wets a surface, molecules can diffuse inside and outside of the droplet or in the bound state on the surface. How the interplay between surface binding, diffusion in surface and bulk affects the wetting kinetics is not well understood. Here, we derive the governing equations using non-equilibrium thermodynamics by relating the thermodynamic fluxes and forces at the surface coupled to the bulk. We study the spreading dynamics in the presence of surface binding and find that binding speeds up wetting by nucleating a droplet inside the surface. Our results suggest that the wetting dynamics of droplets can be regulated by two-dimensional surface droplets in the surface-bound layer through changing the binding affinity to the surfaces. These findings are relevant both to engineering life-like systems with condensates and vesicles, and biomolecular condensates in living cells.

Phases and dynamics of few fermionic impurities immersed in two-dimensional boson droplets

We unravel the ground state properties and emergent nonequilibrium dynamics of a mixture consisting of a few spin-polarized fermions embedded in a two-dimensional bosonic quantum droplet. For an increasingly attractive droplet-fermion interaction we find a transition from a spatially delocalized fermion configuration to a state where the fermions are highly localized and isolated. This process is accompanied by the rise of induced fermion-fermion interactions mediated by the droplet. Additionally, for increasing attractive droplet-fermion coupling, undulations in the droplet density occur in the vicinity of the fermions manifesting the back-action of the latter. Following interaction quenches from strong to weaker attractive droplet-fermion couplings reveals the spontaneous nucleation of complex excitation patterns in the fermion density such as ring- and cross-shaped structures. These stem from the enhanced interference of the fermions that remain trapped within the droplet, which emulates, to a good degree, an effective potential for the fermions. The non-negligible back-action of the droplet manifests itself in the fact that the effective potential predictions are less accurate at the level of the many-body wave function. Our results provide a paradigm for physics beyond the reduced single-component droplet model, unveiling the role of back-action in droplets and the effect of induced mediated interactions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Two-dimensional quantum droplets in binary quadrupolar condensates

We study the stability and characteristics of two-dimensional (2D) quasi-isotropic quantum droplets (QDs) of fundamental and vortex types, formed by binary Bose–Einstein condensate with magnetic quadrupole–quadrupole interactions (MQQIs). The magnetic quadrupoles are built as pairs of dipoles and antidipoles polarized along the x-axis. The MQQIs are induced by applying an external magnetic field that varies along the x-axis. The system is modeled by the Gross–Pitaevskii equations including the MQQIs and Lee-Huang-Yang correction to the mean-field approximation. Stable 2D fundamental QDs and quasi-isotropic vortex QDs with topological charges S⩽4 are produced by means of the imaginary-time-integration method for configurations with the quadrupoles polarized parallel to the system’s two-dimensional plane. Effects of the norm and MQQI strength on the QDs are studied in detail. Some results, including an accurate prediction of the effective area, chemical potential, and peak density of QDs, are obtained in an analytical form by means of the Thomas-Fermi approximation. Collisions between moving QDs are studied by means of systematic simulations.

Self-propulsion of a droplet induced by combined diffusiophoresis and Marangoni effects.

Chemically active droplets display complex self-propulsion behavior in homogeneous surfactant solutions, often influenced by the interplay between diffusiophoresis and Marangoni effects. Previous studies have primarily considered these effects separately or assumed axisymmetric motion. To understand the full hydrodynamics, we investigate the motion of a two-dimensional active droplet under their combined influences using weakly nonlinear analysis and numerical simulations. The impact of two key factors, the Péclet number ( ) and the mobility ratio between diffusiophoretic and Marangoni effects ( ), on droplet motion is explored. We establish a phase diagram in the space, categorizing the boundaries between four types of droplet states: stationary, steady motion, periodic/quasi-periodic motion, and chaotic motion. We find that the mobility ratio does not affect the critical for the onset of self-propulsion, but it significantly influences the stability of high-wavenumber modes as well as the droplet's velocity and trajectory. Scaling analysis reveals that in the high regime, the Marangoni and diffusiophoresis effects lead to distinct velocity scaling laws: and , respectively. When these effects are combined, the velocity scaling depends on the sign of the mobility ratio. In cases with a positive mobility ratio, the Marangoni effect dominates the scaling, whereas the negative diffusiophoretic effect leads to an increased thickness of the concentration boundary layer and a flattened scaling of the dropletvelocity.

A new educational approach to surface tension and Young-Laplace law by using computer-based simulations

Here we present a pedagogical approach to surface tension phenomena based on a novel mesoscopic fluid model. We show that computer simulations based on this model can provide quantitative results that are consistent with experimental results. We simulate the formation of a two-dimensional liquid droplet without gravity and obtain its surface tension as a result by also verifying Young-Laplace’s law. By controlling some simulation parameters, students can understand step by step how some physical quantities (e.g., the intensity of the interaction between two fluid particles) can affect the behaviour of fluids. This approach will provide students with an explicative model of surface phenomena.

The effect of contact angle hysteresis on a droplet in a viscoelastic two-phase system

We investigate the dynamic behavior of a two-dimensional droplet adhering to a wall in Poiseuille flow at low Reynolds numbers, in a system where one of the phases is viscoelastic represented by a Giesekus model. The Cahn–Hilliard Phase-Field method is used to capture the interface between the two phases. The presence of polymeric molecules alters the viscoelastic drop's deformation over time, categorizing it into two stages before contact line depinning. In the first stage, the viscoelastic droplet deforms faster, while in the second stage, the Newtonian counterpart accelerates and its deformation outpaces the viscoelastic droplet. The deformation of viscoelastic drop is retarded significantly in the second stage with increasing Deborah number De. The viscous bending of viscoelastic drop is enhanced on the receding side for small De, but it is weakened by further increase in De. On the advancing side, the viscous bending is decreased monotonically for Ca < 0.25 with a non-monotonic behavior for Ca = 0.25. The non-monotonic behavior on the receding side is attributed to the emergence of outward pulling stresses in the vicinity of the receding contact line and the inception of strain-hardening at higher De, while the reduction in the viscous bending at the advancing side is the result of just strain-hardening. Finally, when the medium is viscoelastic, the viscoelasticity suppresses the droplet deformation on both receding and advancing sides, and this effect becomes more pronounced with increasing De. Increasing the Giesekus mobility parameter enhances the weakening effect of viscous bending on the advancing side.

Anisotropic Quantum Hall Droplets

We study two-dimensional (2D) droplets of noninteracting electrons in a strong magnetic field, placed in a confining potential with arbitrary shape. Using semiclassical methods adapted to the lowest Landau level, we obtain near-Gaussian energy eigenstates that are localized on level curves of the potential and have a position-dependent height. This one-particle insight allows us to deduce explicit formulas for expectation values of local many-body observables, such as density and current, in the thermodynamic limit. In particular, correlations along the edge are long-ranged and inhomogeneous. As we show, this is consistent with the system’s universal low-energy description as a free 1D chiral conformal field theory of edge modes, known from earlier works in simple geometries. A delicate interplay between radial and angular dependencies of eigenfunctions ultimately ensures that the theory is homogeneous in terms of the canonical angle variable of the potential, despite its apparent inhomogeneity in terms of more naïve angular coordinates. Finally, we propose a scheme to measure the anisotropy by subjecting the droplet to microwave radiation; we compute the corresponding absorption rate and show that it depends on the droplet’s shape and the waves’ polarization. These results, both local and global, are likely to be observable in solid-state systems or quantum simulators of 2D electron gases with a high degree of control on the confining potential. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Phase-field-based lattice Boltzmann model for simulating thermocapillary flows.

This paper proposes a simple and accurate lattice Boltzmann model for simulating thermocapillary flows, which can deal with the contrast between thermodynamic parameters. In this model, two lattice Boltzmann equationsare utilized to solve the conservative Allen-Cahn equationand the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, while another lattice Boltzmann equationis used for solving the temperature field, where the collision term is delicately designed such that the influence of the contrast between thermodynamic parameters is incorporated. In contrast to the previous lattice Boltzmann models for thermocapillary flows, the most distinct feature of the current model is that the forcing term used in the present thermal lattice Boltzmann equationis not needed to calculate space derivatives of the heat capacitance or the order parameter, making the scheme much more straightforward and able to retain the main merits of the lattice Boltzmann method. The developed model is first validated by considering the thermocapillary flows in a heated microchannel with two superimposed planar fluids. It is then used to simulate the thermocapillary migration of a two-dimensional deformable droplet, and its accuracy is consistent with the theoretical prediction when the Marangoni number approaches zero. Finally, we numerically study the motion of two recalcitrant bubbles in a two-dimensional channel where the relationship between surface tension and temperature is assumed to be a parabolic function. It is observed that due to the competition between the inertia and thermal effects, the bubbles can move against the liquid's bulk motion and towards areas with low surface tension.

Two-dimensional symbiotic solitons and quantum droplets in a quasi-one-dimensional optical lattice

Symbiotic solitons (SS) and quantum droplets (QD) are self-trapped localized modes emerging in binary Bose-gas mixtures with intra-component repulsion and inter-component attraction. We have shown that two-dimensional (2D) SS can be stabilized against collapse or decay by means of a quasi-one-dimensional optical lattice (OL). Mobility of SSs along the free direction of the potential allows us to explore interactions and collisions of SSs moving in the same channel and neighboring channels of the quasi-1D OL. For the case of equal atom numbers in both components of the binary Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) we have developed a variational approach that showed the stability of SS. For parameter settings when the SS stays on the verge of collapse/decay instability we take into account the Lee–Huang–Yang quantum fluctuations (QF) term in the coupled Gross–Pitaevskii equations (GPE). The QF term in the 2D GPE has the form of nonlinearity with a logarithmic factor, which is repulsive for large amplitude waves and attractive for opposite situations. This property of the governing equation supports stable QDs immersed in a gaseous phase of the larger component in particle-imbalanced Bose-gas mixtures. We explore the peculiar properties of QD such as incompressibility and surface tension, which are inherent to liquids. The proposed model of binary BEC loaded in a quasi-1D OL allows us to demonstrate the manifestations of the incompressibility and surface tension of 2D QDs.

Performance of passive scalar method in heat transfer simulation of a two-dimensional droplet focusing on the parasitic temperatures

Performance of passive scalar method in heat transfer simulation of a two-dimensional droplet focusing on the parasitic temperatures

Lifetime of evaporating two-dimensional sessile droplets.

Prevailing diffusion-limited analyses of evaporating sessile droplets are facilitated by a quasisteady model for the evolution of vapor concentration in space and time. When attempting to employ that model in two dimensions, however, one encounters an impasse: the logarithmic growth of concentration at large distances, associated with the Green's function of Laplace's equation, is incompatible with the need to approach an equilibrium concentration at infinity. Observing that the quasisteady description breaks down at large distances, the diffusion problem is resolved using matched asymptotic expansions. Thus the vapor domain is conceptually decomposed into two asymptotic regions: one at the scale of the drop, where vapor transport is indeed quasisteady, and one at a remote scale, where the drop appears as a point singularity and transport is genuinely unsteady. The requirement of asymptotic matching between the respective regions furnishes a self-consistent description of the time-evolving evaporation process. Its solution provides the droplet lifetime as a universal function of a single physical parameter. Our scheme avoids the use of a remote artificial boundary, which introduces a nonremovable dependence upon a nonphysical parameter.

Collisional dynamics of two-dimensional vortex quantum droplets

A quantum droplet is a self-bound state balanced by the mean-field interaction and Lee–Huang–Yang correction in a Bose–Bose mixture. In this paper, we study the collisional dynamics of two-dimensional quantum droplets with a vortex. By adjusting the initial momentum, the initial phase difference, the topological charge of the quantum droplets, and the total number of particles, we identify three dynamic mechanisms of collisions, namely, splitting, no-splitting, and their crossover according to the states after collision, which are significantly different from the merging, separation, and evaporation of the collisional dynamics of vortex-free droplets. The initial phase difference of the two droplets changes the interference fringes and the manner of splitting of the droplets. We also show that the three-body loss of atoms does not affect the result.

Two-Dimensional Quantum Droplets in Binary Dipolar Bose-Bose Mixture

We study two-dimensional (2D) isotropic quantum droplets (QDs) in dipolar binary Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs). The QDs are supported by the competition between the 2D form of the Lee-Huang-Yang (LHY) term and the isotropic dipole-dipole interactions (DDIs). Moreover, the DDIs in the 2D plane can be tuned to be either repulsive or attractive. Before that, QDs in dipolar BECs were often explored in three-dimensional (3D) systems, with competition between the attractive DDIs and the repulsive LHY term. Unlike the 3D system, the LHY term of the 2D binary system behaves in a logarithmic form, which can feature both attraction and repulsion. In this case, the QDs can be produced regardless of the interactions (attraction, repulsion, or zero) that the mean-field effect represents. In this paper, we model the aforementioned QDs via the 2D binary dipolar BECs with the competition between isotropic DDIs and the logarithmic LHY term. Their characteristic parameters (the peak density, IP, chemical potential, μ, and effective area, Aeff) using both numerical and theoretical methods are discussed. The centripetal collision and oblique collision between moving QDs are also studied.

Spontaneous symmetry breaking, stability and adiabatic changes of 2D quantum droplets in amended Gross–Pitaevskii equation with multi-well potential

In this paper, we report the spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) of two-dimensional (2D) quantum droplets (QDs) for the amended Gross–Pitaevskii equation with Lee–Huang–Yang corrections and a Gaussian quadruple-well potential. The complete pitchfork symmetry breaking bifurcation diagrams are presented for the possible stationary states with four modes, which involve twelve different real solution branches and one complex solution branch, where the continuous asymmetric QDs branches bifurcate from the fundamental symmetric or antisymmetric one as the strength of nonlinearity exceeds a threshold value. Meanwhile the stability of the 2D QDs is explored by means of linear stability analysis and direct numerical simulations. Especially, for the asymmetric QDs, the SSB effect and the trend for getting the droplet asymmetry are discussed by changing the chemical potential. Finally, the adiabatic changes of stable stationary QDs are explored by modulating the position, depth, and width of the potential well as functions of time, and the strong robustness of QDs is found. Our results provide some theoretical basis for the SSB phenomena and related physical experiments on 2D asymmetric QDs.

Formations and dynamics of two-dimensional spinning asymmetric quantum droplets controlled by a PT-symmetric potential.

In this paper, vortex solitons are produced for a variety of 2D spinning quantum droplets (QDs) in a PT-symmetric potential, modeled by the amended Gross-Pitaevskii equation with Lee-Huang-Yang corrections. In particular, exact QD states are obtained under certain parameter constraints, providing a guide to finding the respective generic family. In a parameter region of the unbroken PT symmetry, different families of QDs originating from the linear modes are obtained in the form of multipolar and vortex droplets at low and high values of the norm, respectively, and their stability is investigated. In the spinning regime, QDs become asymmetric above a critical rotation frequency, most of them being stable. The effect of the PT-symmetric potential on the spinning and nonspinning QDs is explored by varying the strength of the gain-loss distribution. Generally, spinning QDs trapped in the PT-symmetric potential exhibit asymmetry due to the energy flow affected by the interplay of the gain-loss distribution and rotation. Finally, interactions between spinning or nonspinning QDs are explored, exhibiting elastic collisions under certain conditions.

A numerical assessment of shock–droplet interaction modeling including cavitation

A computational study of the wave phenomenon and probable cavitation that occurs when a droplet interacts with a shock is presented. A volume-of-fluid method with and without a cavitation model activated is employed. The model with no cavitation is used to clarify the droplet's internal wave field. The model is benchmarked using experimental data of a 22 mm water column impacted by a shock wave at Mach 2.4. Good agreement between the computational results for a two-dimensional (2D) circular droplet and the experimental results is demonstrated. A simplified 2D, square droplet is also considered in order to highlight the effects of interface curvature on the internal waves. Comparison of the results for the square and circular drops shows that the circular geometry diffuses the initial pressure wave while focusing the reflected wave. The three-dimensional (3D) spherical droplet was then analyzed. The internal wave behavior is similar to the 2D circular drop with enhanced diffusion and focusing. Two cavitation models were then used to explore the probability that cavitation occurs for a nominal sized raindrop interacting with shock waves, Mach 1.5–5. Two cavitation models, full Rayleigh–Plesset (FRP) and Schnerr-Sauer both predicted vapor formation at the same location with the FRP always predicting slightly higher amounts of vapor. The current setting for number of nuclei ensures that the simulation is not swamped by vapor formation but is unrealistically small. Therefore, while the work demonstrates that cavitation will occur, the full nature of the cavitation along with the impulsive pressure waves it should create is not currently captured.

Numerical Stability and Accuracy of Contact Angle Schemes in Pseudopotential Lattice Boltzmann Model for Simulating Static Wetting and Dynamic Wetting

There are five most widely used contact angle schemes in the pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for simulating the wetting phenomenon: The pseudopotential-based scheme (PB scheme), the improved virtual-density scheme (IVD scheme), the modified pseudopotential-based scheme with a ghost fluid layer constructed by using the fluid layer density above the wall (MPB-C scheme), the modified pseudopotential-based scheme with a ghost fluid layer constructed by using the weighted average density of surrounding fluid nodes (MPB-W scheme) and the geometric formulation scheme (GF scheme). But the numerical stability and accuracy of the schemes for wetting simulation remain unclear in the past. In this paper, the numerical stability and accuracy of these schemes are clarified for the first time, by applying the five widely used contact angle schemes to simulate a two-dimensional (2D) sessile droplet on wall and capillary imbibition in a 2D channel as the examples of static wetting and dynamic wetting simulations respectively. (i) It is shown that the simulated contact angles by the GF scheme are consistent at different density ratios for the same prescribed contact angle, but the simulated contact angles by the PB scheme, IVD scheme, MPB-C scheme and MPB-W scheme change with density ratios for the same fluid-solid interaction strength. The PB scheme is found to be the most unstable scheme for simulating static wetting at increased density ratios. (ii) Although the spurious velocity increases with the increased liquid/vapor density ratio for all the contact angle schemes, the magnitude of the spurious velocity in the PB scheme, IVD scheme and GF scheme are smaller than that in the MPB-C scheme and MPB-W scheme. (iii) The fluid density variation near the wall in the PB scheme is the most significant, and the variation can be diminished in the IVD scheme, MPB-C scheme and MPB-W scheme. The variation totally disappeared in the GF scheme. (iv) For the simulation of capillary imbibition, the MPB-C scheme, MPB-W scheme and GF scheme simulate the dynamics of the liquid-vapor interface well, with the GF scheme being the most accurate. The accuracy of the IVD scheme is low at a small contact angle (44 degrees) but gets high at a large contact angle (60 degrees). However, the PB scheme is the most inaccurate in simulating the dynamics of the liquid-vapor interface. As a whole, it is most suggested to apply the GF scheme to simulate static wetting or dynamic wetting, while it is the least suggested to use the PB scheme to simulate static wetting or dynamic wetting.

A Novel Method for Simulating Micro-Scale Water Droplet Movements

Micro-scale fluids are tiny droplets that adhere to the surface of an object as a result of rainfall, perspiration, etc. Micro-scale fluid simulation is widely used in fields such as film and games. The existing state-of-the-art simulation methods are not suitable for simulating water droplets moving on a surface due to the fact that the water droplets cannot leave the texture space and their movements always depend on the continuous UV region. In this study, a novel method for simulating water droplets moving on a surface is proposed. We divide the droplets into two types: (1) two-dimensional droplets and (2) three-dimensional droplets and we implement the transformation between two-dimensional droplets in the texture space and three-dimensional droplets in the physical space. In the preprocessing phase, jump textures, coordinate transform textures and force field textures are generated in the non-continuous UV regions on a 3D object’s surface. In the process of simulation, water droplets are treated as rigid particles. The Velocity-Verlet-based method is adopted to solve the motion trajectory equation, and the boundary droplet transport algorithm is implemented based on jump texture. In the process of rendering, the height map is generated according to the simulation in the texture space and then the liquid bridge phenomenon between the droplets is simulated based on the Gaussian blur and the color rank algorithm. Finally, they are converted into normal texture-rendering droplets. The experimental result shows that the proposed method works well when simulating the movements of water droplets on a surface in a real-time manner, and it makes the movement simulation of dimension-reducing water droplets no longer depend on the continuous surface and continuous UV region. Moreover, the simulation efficiency of the proposed method is two times higher than that of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method.