Spatiotemporal Evolution of Thin Liquid Films during Impact of Water Bubbles on Glass on a Micrometer to Nanometer Scale

Collisions between millimeter-size bubbles in water against a glass plate are studied using high-speed video. Bubble trajectory and shape are tracked simultaneously with laser interferometry between the glass and bubble surfaces that monitors spatial-temporal evolution of the trapped water film. Initial bubble bounces and the final attachment of the bubble to the surface have been quantified. While the global Reynolds number is large (similar to 10(2)), the film Reynolds number remains small and permits analysis with lubrication theory with tangentially immobile boundary condition at the air-water interface. Accurate predictions of dimple formation and subsequent film drainage are obtained.