Abstract:
A recent conjecture on two-dimensional foams suggested that for fixed topology with given bubble areas there is a unique state of stable equilibrium. We present counter-examples, consisting of a ring of bubbles around a central one, which refute this conjecture. The discussion centres on a novel form of instability which causes symmetric clusters to become distorted. The stability of these bubble clusters is examined in terms of the Hessian of the energy.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received 8 November 2001
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weaire, D., Cox, S. & Graner, F. Uniqueness, stability and Hessian eigenvalues for two-dimensional bubble clusters. Eur. Phys. J. E 7, 123–127 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i200101168
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i200101168