Dramatic Drops and Fascinating Flows: the 2018 Gallery of Fluid Motion

By Leah Poffenberger

The Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting celebrates the interface of science and art through the Gallery of Fluid Motion, a yearly showcase of visually stunning fluids research. A panel of judges assessed this year’s entries, selecting the top video and poster submissions that will be published in Physical Review Fluids in 2019. The video winners of the 2018 Milton van Dyke Award and the APS/DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion Award listed here, along with the poster winners, can be viewed at gfm.aps.org and in the article “Award-Winning Fluid Videos” at physics.aps.org.

2018 Milton van Dyke Award Video Winners

The shaky life of a water drop in an anise oil-rich environment (V0054): A visually stunning phenomenon arises when anise oil, ethanol, and water mix together.

Premixed-flame oscillations in narrow channels (V0018): Propagation of premixed flames react to thermoacoustic oscillations.

Dripping down the rivulet (V0070): At certain angles and flow rates, viscous liquids produce both rivulets and drops.

2018 APS/DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion Award Winners

Hoverdrops: Flying Fizzy Fluids (v0097): On a hydrophobic surface, CO2-filled soda water levitates until the gas dissipates.

The surfactant-free persistence of surface bubbles in a volatile liquid (V0057): Volatile liquids such as isopropyl alcohol have a surprising ability to sustain bubbles, thanks to a cooling effect and thermocapillary flow.

Nitrogen swirl: creating rotating polygons in a boiling liquid (V0032): Liquid nitrogen, when stirred at a boil, displays rotating pentagons, squares or triangles.

Birth of microbubbles in turbulent breaking waves (V0027): Ocean waves and ship wakes produce long-lasting microbubbles as simulated here.