Arnold tongues in a microfluidic drop emitter

Phys Rev Lett. 2006 Feb 10;96(5):054501. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.054501. Epub 2006 Feb 7.

Abstract

The Letter reports an experimental study of microfluidic droplets produced in T junctions and subjected to a local periodic forcing. Synchronized and quasiperiodic regimes--organized into Arnold tongues and devil staircases--are reported for the first time for a system dedicated to drop emission. The nature of the dynamical regime controls the droplet characteristics. These phenomena are mostly controlled by the characteristics of the forcing and the flow conditions.