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arXiv · 0809.0366

Viscous fingering in volatile thin films

Oded Agam
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Abstract

A thin water film on a cleaved mica substrate undergoes a first order phase transition between two values of film thickness. By inducing a finite evaporation rate of the water, the interface between the two phases develops a fingering instability similar to that observed in the Saffman-Taylor problem. We draw the connection between the two problems, and construct solutions describing the dynamics of evaporation in this system.

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Oded Agam. 2009-02-23. Viscous fingering in volatile thin films. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.79.021603

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