Share

Breath figures.

Les figures de souffle.

Author(s) : STEYER A.

Type of article: Article

Summary

During recent years, physicists have been very interested in condensation as a model system. It is composed of a large number of microscopic drops on a substratum, growing and coalescing together. Thus condensation allows investigation of the phenomena of individual and collective growth on a substratum (heterogenous nucleation) on a simple system from an experimental point of view. Therefore, bidimensional structures have been shown (hexastism, fractals, etc) as well as universal laws on growth and fluctuations. The applications of such investigations are numerous: growth of thin layers, heat exchangers, and more generally all systems where growth takes place on a substratum. Furthermore, investigation of condensation allows the discovery of new phenomena related to superficial tension such as the mechanical energy is released which is communicated from the drops to their substratum.

Details

  • Original title: Les figures de souffle.
  • Record ID : 1992-2549
  • Languages: French
  • Source: C. R. Acad. Sci., Vie Sci. - vol. 9 - n. 1
  • Publication date: 1992
  • Document available for consultation in the library of the IIR headquarters only.

Links


See the source

Indexing