Rush hour in a coffee stain: Transition from order to disorder
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - 09:30
in Physics & Chemistry
A remarkable effect never witnessed before has been discovered in the ring-shaped stains of tiny dissolved particles ('coffee stains') that develop after a liquid has evaporated. While the particles on the outside of the ring are neatly organized, chaos reigns on the inside of the ring where the particles seem to have collected in a great hurry.