Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.15810 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866917348653400064 |
|---|---|
| author | Capelo, Holly L. Bodénan, Jean-David Jutzi, Martin Kühn, Jonas Surville, Clément Mayer, Lucio Schönbächler, Maria Alibert, Yann Thomas, Nicolas Pommerol, Antoine |
| author_facet | Capelo, Holly L. Bodénan, Jean-David Jutzi, Martin Kühn, Jonas Surville, Clément Mayer, Lucio Schönbächler, Maria Alibert, Yann Thomas, Nicolas Pommerol, Antoine |
| contents | Stability analysis of two-fluid protoplanetary disc models has enriched our understanding of how solids can grow into larger bodies called planetesimals. Dust particles entrained in a gas stream modify the flow, creating shear layers prone to instability. In such environments, drag occurs in the free-molecular (Epstein) regime. Recreating these two-phase flows on Earth is difficult due to gravity-driven buoyancy. Here, we use particle image velocimetry to study a low-pressure dust-gas mixture at Knudsen numbers up to 10 in microgravity. We observe a granular shear flow instability, characterized by a periodic velocity field, which can be modeled to first order as a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability. This behavior resembles a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and provides a benchmark for two-fluid theories relevant to planet formation. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_15810 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Experimental evidence for granular shear-flow instability in the Epstein regime Capelo, Holly L. Bodénan, Jean-David Jutzi, Martin Kühn, Jonas Surville, Clément Mayer, Lucio Schönbächler, Maria Alibert, Yann Thomas, Nicolas Pommerol, Antoine Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Stability analysis of two-fluid protoplanetary disc models has enriched our understanding of how solids can grow into larger bodies called planetesimals. Dust particles entrained in a gas stream modify the flow, creating shear layers prone to instability. In such environments, drag occurs in the free-molecular (Epstein) regime. Recreating these two-phase flows on Earth is difficult due to gravity-driven buoyancy. Here, we use particle image velocimetry to study a low-pressure dust-gas mixture at Knudsen numbers up to 10 in microgravity. We observe a granular shear flow instability, characterized by a periodic velocity field, which can be modeled to first order as a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability. This behavior resembles a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and provides a benchmark for two-fluid theories relevant to planet formation. |
| title | Experimental evidence for granular shear-flow instability in the Epstein regime |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.15810 |