Rayleigh-Taylor instability under an inclined plane

Abstract

We revisit the canonical Rayleigh-Taylor instability and investigate the case of a thin film of fluid upon the underside of an inclined plane. The presence of a natural flow along the plane competes with the conventional droplet forming instability. In particular, experiments reveal that no drops form for inclinations greater than a critical value. These features are rationalized in the context of the absolute/convective analysis conducted in this article.