Interfacial dynamics in 3D binary fluid demixing: animation studies

The late-stage phase ordering, in three dimensions, of fully symmetric binary fluid mixtures is studied via a lattice Boltzmann method. We present time-resolved maps of the fluid velocity fields and also animated visualizations of the interfacial motion. These show distinct features corresponding to regimes where viscous, crossover and inertial hydrodynamic scaling have previously been identified. Specifically, while the interface is overdamped in the viscous regime, it exhibits recoil after topological reconnection at intermediate and higher inertia; and in our most inertial runs the interface shows extensive underdamped capillary disturbances not attributable to topological reconnection events. The advantages and practicality of presenting such dynamical data in fully animated form are demonstrated and briefly discussed.

This paper's animations are available from the Multimedia Enhancements page as individual files and also packed into archives (two formats).