Symmetry Breaking in Jetting

In the bubble-jet printing process, it has been observed that the drop that ultimately pinches off from the ink jet sometimes moves sideways rather than straight relative to the symmetry axis of the liquid jet. We examined various mechanisms that might lead to the deflection of the ink drop. In particular, we focused on whether the liquid filament that connects the lead drop to the nozzle is capable of supporting lateral waves which might propagate from the nozzle toward the lead drop and break the symmetry at pinch-off