2009•arXiv (Cornell University)Open access
Cusps in interfacial problems
J. Eggers M. A. Fontelos
Open full text 3 citations
Abstract
A wide range of equations related to free surface motion in two dimensions exhibit the formation of cusp singularities either in time, or as function of a parameter. We review a number of specific examples, relating in particular to fluid flow and to wave motion, and show that they exhibit one of two types of singularity: cusp or swallowtail. This results in a universal scaling form of the singularity, and permits a tentative classification.
Open-access reader