Subsurface Phenomena and the Splashing of Drops on Shallow Liquids

High-speed movies have been taken of the formation of the sub-surface cavity and of the Rayleigh jet formed during the splash of a drop on a shallow liquid. They show that the initial increase and subsequent decrease in the rate of rise of the jet and the maximum jet height with decreasing depth of liquid are the result of the interaction of the subsurface cavity with the solid boundary beneath the liquid. This interaction modifies considerably the pressure gradients in the liquid during the formation and collapse of the cavity.