Axisymmetric bubble pinch-off at high Reynolds numbers -: art. no. 194501

Analytical considerations and potential-flow numerical simulations of the pinch-off of bubbles at high Reynolds numbers reveal that the bubble minimum radius, r(n), decreases as tau proportional to r(n)(2)root-lnr(n)(2), where tau is the time to break up, when the local shape of the bubble near the singularity is symmetric. However, if the gas convective terms in the momentum equation become of the order of those of the liquid, the bubble shape is no longer symmetric and the evolution of the neck changes to a r(n)proportional to tau(1/3) power law. These findings are verified experimentally.