Complexities of splashing

Abstract

We study the impact of a drop of liquid onto a thin layer of the same liquid. We give an overview of the sequence of events that occur as the two most important dimensionless control parameters are varied. In particular, multiple cohorts of droplets can be ejected at different stages after impact due to different mechanisms. Edgerton's famous Milkdrop Coronet is only observed for a narrow range of parameters. Outside this range, the splash is either qualitatively different, or suffers from a much lower level of regularity.