Perturbation Theory for Traveling Droplets

Abstract

Motion of chemically driven droplets is analyzed by applying a solvability condition of perturbed hydrodynamic equations affected by the adsorbate concentration. Conditions for traveling bifurcation analogous to a similar transition in activator-inhibitor systems are obtained. It is shown that interaction of droplets leads to either scattering of mobile droplets or formation of regular patterns, respectively, at low or high adsorbate diffusivity. The same method is applied to droplets running on growing terrace edges during surface freezing.