Regularization of moving boundaries in a Laplacian field by a mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary condition: exact results

The dynamics of ionization fronts that generate a conducting body, are in simplest approximation equivalent to viscous fingering without regularization. Going beyond this approximation, we suggest that ionization fronts can be modeled by a mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary condition. We derive exact uniformly propagating solutions of this problem in 2D and construct a single partial differential equation governing small perturbations of these solutions. For some parameter value, this equation can be solved analytically which shows that the uniformly propagating solution is linearly convectively stable.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Interface growth in two dimensions: A Loewner-equation approach

The problem of Laplacian growth in two dimensions is considered within the Loewner-equation framework. Initially the problem of fingered growth recently discussed by Gubiec and Szymczak [T. Gubiec and P. Szymczak, Phys. Rev. E 77, 041602 (2008)] is revisited and a new exact solution for a three-finger configuration is reported. Then a general class of growth models for an interface growing in the upper-half plane is introduced and the corresponding Loewner equation for the problem is derived. Several examples are given including interfaces with one or more tips as well as multiple growing interfaces. A generalization of our interface growth model in terms of ``Loewner domains,'' where the growth rule is specified by a time evolving measure, is briefly discussed.Comment: To appear in Physical Review

Morphological stability of electromigration-driven vacancy islands

The electromigration-induced shape evolution of two-dimensional vacancy islands on a crystal surface is studied using a continuum approach. We consider the regime where mass transport is restricted to terrace diffusion in the interior of the island. In the limit of fast attachment/detachment kinetics a circle translating at constant velocity is a stationary solution of the problem. In contrast to earlier work [O. Pierre-Louis and T.L. Einstein, Phys. Rev. B 62, 13697 (2000)] we show that the circular solution remains linearly stable for arbitrarily large driving forces. The numerical solution of the full nonlinear problem nevertheless reveals a fingering instability at the trailing end of the island, which develops from finite amplitude perturbations and eventually leads to pinch-off. Relaxing the condition of instantaneous attachment/detachment kinetics, we obtain non-circular elongated stationary shapes in an analytic approximation which compares favorably to the full numerical solution.Comment: 12 page

Theory and computation of directional nematic phase ordering

A computational study of morphological instabilities of a two-dimensional nematic front under directional growth was performed using a Landau-de Gennes type quadrupolar tensor order parameter model for the first-order isotropic/nematic transition of 5CB (pentyl-cyanobiphenyl). A previously derived energy balance, taking anisotropy into account, was utilized to account for latent heat and an imposed morphological gradient in the time-dependent model. Simulations were performed using an initially homeotropic isotropic/nematic interface. Thermal instabilities in both the linear and non-linear regimes were observed and compared to past experimental and theoretical observations. A sharp-interface model for the study of linear morphological instabilities, taking into account additional complexity resulting from liquid crystalline order, was derived. Results from the sharp-interface model were compared to those from full two-dimensional simulation identifying the specific limitations of simplified sharp-interface models for this liquid crystal system. In the nonlinear regime, secondary instabilities were observed to result in the formation of defects, interfacial heterogeneities, and bulk texture dynamics.Comment: first revisio

Model Flames in the Boussinesq Limit: The Effects of Feedback

We have studied the fully nonlinear behavior of pre-mixed flames in a gravitationally stratified medium, subject to the Boussinesq approximation. Key results include the establishment of criterion for when such flames propagate as simple planar flames; elucidation of scaling laws for the effective flame speed; and a study of the stability properties of these flames. The simplicity of some of our scalings results suggests that analytical work may further advance our understandings of buoyant flames.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, RevTex, gzipped tar fil

Interface growth in the channel geometry and tripolar Loewner evolutions

A class of Laplacian growth models in the channel geometry is studied using the formalism of tripolar Loewner evolutions, in which three points, namely, the channel corners and infinity, are kept fixed. Initially, the problem of fingered growth, where growth takes place only at the tips of slit-like fingers, is revisited and a class of exact exact solutions of the corresponding Loewner equation is presented for the case of stationary driving functions. A model for interface growth is then formulated in terms of a generalized tripolar Loewner equation and several examples are presented, including interfaces with multiple tips as well as multiple growing interfaces. The model exhibits interesting dynamical features, such as tip and finger competition.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figure

Scaling Relations of Viscous Fingers in Anisotropic Hele-Shaw Cells

Viscous fingers in a channel with surface tension anisotropy are numerically studied. Scaling relations between the tip velocity v, the tip radius and the pressure gradient are investigated for two kinds of boundary conditions of pressure, when v is sufficiently large. The power-law relations for the anisotropic viscous fingers are compared with two-dimensional dendritic growth. The exponents of the power-law relations are theoretically evaluated.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

The Sivashinsky equation for corrugated flames in the large-wrinkle limit

Sivashinsky's (1977) nonlinear integro-differential equation for the shape of corrugated 1-dimensional flames is ultimately reducible to a 2N-body problem, involving the 2N complex poles of the flame slope. Thual, Frisch & Henon (1985) derived singular linear integral equations for the pole density in the limit of large steady wrinkles $(N \gg 1)$, which they solved exactly for monocoalesced periodic fronts of highest amplitude of wrinkling and approximately otherwise. Here we solve those analytically for isolated crests, next for monocoalesced then bicoalesced periodic flame patterns, whatever the (large-) amplitudes involved. We compare the analytically predicted pole densities and flame shapes to numerical results deduced from the pole-decomposition approach. Good agreement is obtained, even for moderately large Ns. The results are extended to give hints as to the dynamics of supplementary poles. Open problems are evoked

Flame Enhancement and Quenching in Fluid Flows

We perform direct numerical simulations (DNS) of an advected scalar field which diffuses and reacts according to a nonlinear reaction law. The objective is to study how the bulk burning rate of the reaction is affected by an imposed flow. In particular, we are interested in comparing the numerical results with recently predicted analytical upper and lower bounds. We focus on reaction enhancement and quenching phenomena for two classes of imposed model flows with different geometries: periodic shear flow and cellular flow. We are primarily interested in the fast advection regime. We find that the bulk burning rate v in a shear flow satisfies v ~ a*U+b where U is the typical flow velocity and a is a constant depending on the relationship between the oscillation length scale of the flow and laminar front thickness. For cellular flow, we obtain v ~ U^{1/4}. We also study flame extinction (quenching) for an ignition-type reaction law and compactly supported initial data for the scalar field. We find that in a shear flow the flame of the size W can be typically quenched by a flow with amplitude U ~ alpha*W. The constant alpha depends on the geometry of the flow and tends to infinity if the flow profile has a plateau larger than a critical size. In a cellular flow, we find that the advection strength required for quenching is U ~ W^4 if the cell size is smaller than a critical value.Comment: 14 pages, 20 figures, revtex4, submitted to Combustion Theory and Modellin

Interface dynamics in Hele-Shaw flows with centrifugal forces. Preventing cusp singularities with rotation

A class of exact solutions of Hele-Shaw flows without surface tension in a rotating cell is reported. We show that the interplay between injection and rotation modifies drastically the scenario of formation of finite-time cusp singularities. For a subclass of solutions, we show that, for any given initial condition, there exists a critical rotation rate above which cusp formation is prevented. We also find an exact sufficient condition to avoid cusps simultaneously for all initial conditions. This condition admits a simple interpretation related to the linear stability problem.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure