The ninth-mode sectorial oscillation of acoustically levitated drops

Abstract

We report on the ninth-mode sectorial oscillation of acoustically levitated drops excited by actively modulating sound pressure. A numerical computation based on the level set method was performed to model drop shape evolution by solving an incompressible two-phase flow problem. The calculated shapes of the oscillating drop are in good agreement with experimental observations. The relationship between the oscillation frequency and parameters describing the flattened drops is studied both experimentally and numerically. The frequency of the ninth-mode sectorial oscillation decreases with increasing equatorial radius and can be well-described by a modified Rayleigh equation. © 2011 Science China Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.