Plateau–Rayleigh instability

Summary

The Plateau–Rayleigh instability is the break-up of a long cylinder of liquid, such as a thin jet, into drops under surface tension. Axisymmetric bulges whose wavelength exceeds the circumference of the cylinder lower the surface area and therefore grow. Plateau found the critical wavelength from surface energy, and Rayleigh computed the growth rates for an inviscid jet. It explains drop formation in jets, ink-jet printing and the beading of thin liquid threads.