Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 084502 (2002) [4 pages]Dynamics of Liquid NanojetsReceived 31 January 2002; published 6 August 2002 We study the breakup of a liquid jet a few nanometers in diameter, based on a stochastic differential equation derived recently by Moseler and Landman [Science 289, 1165 (2000)]. In agreement with their simulations, we confirm that noise qualitatively changes the characteristics of breakup, leading to symmetric profiles. Using the path integral description, we find a self-similar profile that describes the most probable breakup mode. As illustrated by a simple physical argument, noise is the driving force behind pinching, speeding up the breakup to make surface tension irrelevant. © 2002 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.084502
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.084502
PACS:
47.60.+i, 47.20.Ma, 47.55.Dz, 61.46.+w
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