Rayleigh-Plateau Instability

A cylindrical jet of liquid is unstable to perturbations with wavelength λ > 2πR (surface tension reduces energy by forming droplets). The dispersion relation ω²(k) shows maximum growth at kR ≈ 0.697, giving droplets about 9× the jet radius in diameter.

R = 22 px
kR = 0.697
ε = 0.10
Growth rate: —