Background
Thin liquid films — whether stabilising foams, coating surfaces, or separating bubbles and drops — are often only tens of nanometres thick. Traditionally, their rupture was thought to occur only in the spinodal regime, when the film is linearly unstable. Our recent work revealed a second, thermal regime: even linearly stable films can rupture when a rare, unusually large fluctuation occurs, creating a rogue nanowave that punctures the film. You can read more about this work here and the background to it here.
So far, these studies have been largely confined to two-dimensional geometries or quasi-2D simulations. Real films, however, are three-dimensional, and the shape, dynamics, and statistics of rupture events may change dramatically in 3D. Understanding this is key to predicting the stability of coatings, foams, emulsions, and many natural systems where films are ubiquitous.
Objectives
- Extend current stochastic thin-film models of fluctuation-driven rupture from 2D to fully three-dimensional geometries.
- Characterise how rogue nanowaves emerge and evolve in 3D, including their shapes, growth rates, and rupture pathways.
- Develop predictive theories for rupture times and statistics in realistic 3D settings, and compare them with molecular simulations and experiments.
Approach
- Build numerical solvers for the 3D stochastic thin-film equation, optimised for large-scale simulations.
- Apply rare-event sampling techniques (e.g. instanton/large deviation methods) to capture rare ruptures efficiently.
- Compare results with 3D molecular dynamics data and experimental observations of thin-film rupture (e.g. in coatings and soap films).
Potential Collaborators
- Tobias Grafke (Warwick) – expertise in rare-event theory and large deviations.
- Duncan Lockerby (Warwick) – nanoscale fluid modelling (e.g. molecular dynamics).
What’s Involved
The researcher will work at the intersection of stochastic modelling, numerical simulation, and rare-event theory, developing the first predictive tools for 3D rogue nanowaves. They will gain experience in advanced computational methods, engage with molecular simulation and experimental datasets, and have opportunities to collaborate internationally.
James Sprittles 