Excited Sessile Drops Dance Harmonically

Abstract

In our fluid dynamics video, we demonstrate our method of visualizing and identifying various mode shapes of mechanically oscillated sessile drops. By placing metal mesh under an oscillating drop and projecting light from below, the drop's shape is visualized by the visually deformed mesh pattern seen in the top view. The observed modes are subsequently identified by their number of layers and sectors. An alternative identification associates them with spherical harmonics, as demonstrated in the tutorial. Clips of various observed modes are presented, followed by a 10-second quiz of mode identification.