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The ambient air determines whether there is a sustained takeoff, the team found. Classically, if it worked
like an airplane wing, the lift force would depend on the air density and the speed of the sheet. But the
researchers found that, at these tiny scales, two other factors come into play: the viscosity of the gas and
the so-called mean free path of the gas moleculeshow far they travel, on average, before colliding with
another molecule. This distance, which is around 65 nanometers for ambient air, determines the velocity
of the gas flow very close to the solid surface, which in turn affects the upward force on the underside of
the liquid sheet. The effect of the mean free path is usually negligible, but in the microscopically tiny gap
between the liquid sheet and the solid surface, it becomes appreciable.
This is a very nice piece of work, says Bruno Andreotti of the University of Paris-Diderot. Its typical of
the physics of complexity, in that the ideas are not individually new, but their combination to predict the
splashing threshold is a demanding problem. He says that the novelty results from the proper
introduction of the gas properties and specifically the unexpected role of the mean free path of the gas.
A formula that predicts whether splashing will occur could help to make inkjet printing accurate and
smooth, says Andreotti. Gordillo suggests the work could also help in reducing the spread of plant
infections because it could allow researchers to calculate the minimum plant spacing needed to avoid
bacterial transfer resulting from raindrop splashes. Knowledge of the drop-splashing threshold could also
help criminal forensic scientists estimate the height from which blood drops fell, Riboux says.
Philip Ball