Submicron drops from flapping bursting bubbles

Abstract

Significance Bubble bursting aerosols play a critical role in forming clouds, scattering sunlight, and transporting pathogens from water to the air. Most of them are produced from the fragmentation of bubble cap film. They usually have a diameter below 1 μm. However, their physical production mechanism has remained unknown. In this work, we discovered that these drops are probably generated from flapping bubble cap film (like a flapping flag). It explains the mysterious relation between bubble size and number of drops produced per bubble, providing a fundamental framework for understanding the production flux of bubble bursting aerosols, such as sea spray aerosol, and substance transfer through the air–water interface during drop ejection.