Abstract
We study the singular effects of vanishingly small surface tension on the dynamics of finger competition in the Saffman-Taylor problem, using the asymptotic techniques described by Tanveer [Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 343, 155 (1993)] and Siegel and Tanveer [Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 419 (1996)], as well as direct numerical computation, following the numerical scheme of Hou, Lowengrub, and Shelley [J. Comput. Phys. 114, 312 (1994)]. We demonstrate the dramatic effects of small surface tension on the late time evolution of two-finger configurations with respect to exact (nonsingular) zero-surface-tension solutions. The effect is present even when the relevant zero-surface-tension solution has asymptotic behavior consistent with selection theory. Such singular effects, therefore, cannot be traced back to steady state selection theory, and imply a drastic global change in the structure of phase-space flow. They can be interpreted in the framework of a recently introduced dynamical solvability scenario according to which surface tension unfolds the structurally unstable flow, restoring the hyperbolicity of multifinger fixed points.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 13 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Journal | Physical Review E - Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics |
Volume | 66 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 10 2002 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
- Statistics and Probability
- Condensed Matter Physics