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Laser-Induced Hydrodynamic Instability of Fluid Interfaces

Alexis Casner and Jean-Pierre Delville
Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 144503 – Published 9 April 2003
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Abstract

We report on a new class of electromagnetically driven fluid interface instability. Using the optical radiation pressure of a cw laser to bend a very soft near-critical liquid-liquid interface, we show that it becomes unstable for sufficiently large beam power P, leading to the formation of a stationary beam-centered liquid microjet. We explore the behavior of the instability onset by tuning the interface softness with temperature and varying the size of the exciting beam. The instability mechanism is experimentally demonstrated. It simply relies on total reflection of light at the deformed interface whose condition provides the universal scaling relation for the onset PS of the instability.

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  • Received 17 October 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.144503

©2003 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Alexis Casner* and Jean-Pierre Delville

  • Centre de Physique Moléculaire Optique et Hertzienne, UMR CNRS/Université 5798, Université Bordeaux I, 351 Cours de la Libération, F-33405 Talence cedex, France

  • *Present address: Département de Conception et de Réalisation d’Expériences, CEA/DAM Ile-de-France, BP 12, F-91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France. Electronic address: alexis.casner@cea.fr
  • Electronic address: jp.delville@cpmoh.u-bordeaux1.fr

Comments & Replies

Casner and Delville Reply:

Alexis Casner and Jean-Pierre Delville
Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 049402 (2004)

Comment on “Laser-Induced Hydrodynamic Instability of Fluid Interfaces”

H. M. Lai
Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 049401 (2004)

See Also

Light-Powered Jets

Lea Winerman
Phys. Rev. Focus 11, 14 (2003)

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Issue

Vol. 90, Iss. 14 — 11 April 2003

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