Simulation of an optically induced asymmetric deformation of a liquid-liquid interface

Deformations of liquid interfaces by the optical radiation pressure of a focused laser wave were generally expected to display similar behavior, whatever the direction of propagation of the incident beam. Recent experiments showed that the invariance of interface deformations with respect to the direction of propagation of the incident wave is broken at high laser intensities. In the case of a beam propagating from the liquid of smaller refractive index to that of larger one, the interface remains stable, forming a nipple-like shape, while for the opposite direction of propagation, an instability occurs, leading to a long needle-like deformation emitting micro-droplets. While an analytical model successfully predicts the equilibrium shape of weakly deformed interface, very few work has been accomplished in the regime of large interface deformations. In this work, we use the Boundary Integral Element Method (BIEM) to compute the evolution of the shape of a fluid-fluid interface under the effect of a continuous laser wave, and we compare our numerical simulations to experimental data in the regime of large deformations for both upward and downward beam propagation. We confirm the invariance breakdown observed experimentally and find good agreement between predicted and experimental interface hump heights below the instability threshold

Stretching and squeezing of sessile dielectric drops by the optical radiation pressure

We study numerically the deformation of sessile dielectric drops immersed in a second fluid when submitted to the optical radiation pressure of a continuous Gaussian laser wave. Both drop stretching and drop squeezing are investigated at steady state where capillary effects balance the optical radiation pressure. A boundary integral method is implemented to solve the axisymmetric Stokes flow in the two fluids. In the stretching case, we find that the drop shape goes from prolate to near-conical for increasing optical radiation pressure whatever the drop to beam radius ratio and the refractive index contrast between the two fluids. The semi-angle of the cone at equilibrium decreases with the drop to beam radius ratio and is weakly influenced by the index contrast. Above a threshold value of the radiation pressure, these "optical cones" become unstable and a disruption is observed. Conversely, when optically squeezed, the drop shifts from an oblate to a concave shape leading to the formation of a stable "optical torus". These findings extend the electrohydrodynamics approach of drop deformation to the much less investigated "optical domain" and reveal the openings offered by laser waves to actively manipulate droplets at the micrometer scale

Laser microfluidics: fluid actuation by light

The development of microfluidic devices is still hindered by the lack of robust fundamental building blocks that constitute any fluidic system. An attractive approach is optical actuation because light field interaction is contactless and dynamically reconfigurable, and solutions have been anticipated through the use of optical forces to manipulate microparticles in flows. Following the concept of an 'optical chip' advanced from the optical actuation of suspensions, we propose in this survey new routes to extend this concept to microfluidic two-phase flows. First, we investigate the destabilization of fluid interfaces by the optical radiation pressure and the formation of liquid jets. We analyze the droplet shedding from the jet tip and the continuous transport in laser-sustained liquid channels. In the second part, we investigate a dissipative light-flow interaction mechanism consisting in heating locally two immiscible fluids to produce thermocapillary stresses along their interface. This opto-capillary coupling is implemented in adequate microchannel geometries to manipulate two-phase flows and propose a contactless optical toolbox including valves, droplet sorters and switches, droplet dividers or droplet mergers. Finally, we discuss radiation pressure and opto-capillary effects in the context of the 'optical chip' where flows, channels and operating functions would all be performed optically on the same device

Simulation de l'opto-hydrodynamique des interfaces liquides

Ce travail a pour objectif l'étude du couplage entre la propagation d'une onde optique et l'hydrodynamique d'une interface liquide-liquide, donnant naissance à une discipline nouvelle : l'opto-hydrodynamique. Les applications envisageables dans ce domaine sont nombreuses comme, par exemple, la mesure optique des propriétés physiques des fluides ou encore la manipulation sans contact d'objets à l'échelle micrométrique. Notre étude vise à comprendre les effets en surface et en volume d'une onde lumineuse intense sur un système à deux liquides immiscibles. Les simulations numériques, basées sur une méthode intégrale et d'éléments de frontière (BIEM), consistent à résoudre les équations de Stokes et de conservation de la masse en axisymétrique avec une condition de saut de contraintes à l'interface traduisant l'équilibre entre forces visqueuses, capillaires, gravitationnelles et pression de radiation optique. Le code de calcul est validé à l'aide de comparaison avec des résultats expérimentaux ou avec des prédictions issues de modèles analytiques en régime de faible déformation pour l'équilibre ainsi que pour la dynamique de l'interface lorsque celle-ci est de grande extension par rapport à la taille du faisceau. Une analyse est menée sur l'effet du sens de propagation du faisceau laser sur la déformation de l'interface. Une comparaison avec des données expérimentales est également menée. Les effets en volume de l'onde optique sont étudiés mettant en évidence l'existence d'écoulements permanents au sein des phases qui interagissent avec la forme de l'interface. On étudie pour finir l'effet de taille et de volume finis avec en particulier les effets de la pression de radiation optique sur la déformation d'une goutte liquide dans les deux cas d'étirement et de compression de la goutte.BORDEAUX1-BU Sciences-Talence (335222101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Sedimentation of granular columns in the viscous and weakly inertial regimes

We investigate the dynamics of granular columns of point particles that interact via long-range hydrodynamic interactions and fall under the action of gravity. We investigate the influence of inertia using the Green's function for the Oseen equation. The initial conditions (density and aspect ratio) are systematically varied. Our results suggest that universal self-similar laws may be sufficient to characterize the temporal and structural evolution of the granular columns. A characteristic time above which an instability is triggered (which may enable the formation of clusters) is also retrieved and discussed.

Numerical simulation of universal morphogenesis of fluid interface deformations driven by radiation pressure

We report on numerical simulation of fluid interface deformations induced either by acoustic or optical radiation pressure. This is done by solving simultaneously the scalar wave propagation equation and the two-phase flow equations using the boundary element method. Using dimensional analysis, we show that interface deformation morphogenesis is universal, i.e. depends on the same dimensionless parameters in acoustics and electromagnetics. We numerically investigate a few selected phenomena-in particular the shape of large deformations, the slenderness transition and its hysteresis-and compare with existing and novel experimental observations. Qualitative agreement between the numerical simulations and experiments is found when the mutual interaction between wave propagation and wave-induced deformations is taken into account. Our results demonstrate the leading role of the radiation pressure in morphogenesis of fluid interface deformations and the importance of the propagation-deformation interplay