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Sideways-moving bubbles defy physics, could transform space tech
Researchers have made a revolutionary find after learning that air bubbles in liquid exhibit an unexpected ‘galloping’ motion when shaken vertically.
Surprisingly, instead of following the expected up-and-down movement, the bubbles moved horizontally, thus challenging conventional fluid dynamics.
With the phenomenon drawing significant attention worldwide, the team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) now believes the unexpected discovery could pave the way for major advancements.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s galloping bubbles. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56611-5
Credit: Nature Communications
They suggest the bubbles have the potential to revolutionize cleaning technologies, optimize heat transfer systems in industrial and electronic applications, and even drive innovations in space exploration.
“Our research not only answers a fundamental scientific question but also inspires curiosity and exploration of the fascinating, unseen world of fluid motion,” says Pedro Sáenz, PhD, assistant professor of applied mathematics at UNC-Chapel Hill and a co-author of the study. “After all, the smallest things can sometimes lead to the biggest changes.”
A new perspective on bubbles’ behavior
The experiment, carried out with the help of a Princeton University researcher, reveals that the bubbles didn’t just move, but travelled perpendicular to the direction of shaking instead.
According to the team, this shows that the vertical vibrations were spontaneously converted into continuous horizontal motion, a phenomenon that defies common knowledge in physics.
Even more intriguing, however, was that by altering the shaking frequency and amplitude, the bubbles could switch between distinct movement patterns, including straight-line motion, circular paths, or even unpredictable zigzagging, much like the search behaviors observed in bacteria.
“This discovery transforms our understanding of bubble dynamics, which is usually unpredictable, into a controlled and versatile phenomenon with far-reaching applications in heat transfer, microfluidics, and other technologies,” Connor Magoon, a PhD student in mathematics at UNC-Chapel Hill and joint first author, adds.
Controlling bubble movement has long been a challenge, with few effective and versatile methods available. However, the research reveals that carefully tuned vibrations can guide bubbles along predictable paths and introduces the use of fluid instability as a novel method for precisely directing their movement.
Practical uses across multiple fields
The scientists suggest that this technique could revolutionize microchip cooling by enabling active bubble removal without relying on gravity, ultimately enhancing heat transfer in satellites and space-based electronics.
While buoyancy – an object’s ability to float when submerged in fluid – on Earth naturally clears bubbles from heated surfaces to prevent overheating, microgravity environments lack this effect, making bubble removal a significant challenge.
Surface cleaning is one more area where this could be applied. Since ‘galloping’ bubbles can remove dust by bouncing and zigzagging, controlling their motion this way could lead to new methods in industrial cleaning and even biomedical applications like targeted drug delivery.
National Science Foundation and CASIS unveil seventh transport phenomena and nanoscale interactions solicitation to leverage space station.
Credit: NASA
“The newly discovered self-propulsion mechanism allows bubbles to travel distances and gives them an unprecedented capacity to navigate intricate fluid networks,” Saiful Tamim, PhD, a postdoctoral research assistant at UNC-Chapel Hill and joint first author of the study says in a press release. “This could offer solutions to long-standing challenges in heat transfer, surface cleaning, and even inspire new soft robotic systems.”
According to Jian Hui Guan, PhD, a postdoctoral research assistant at UNC-Chapel Hill and joint first author of the study, carefully tuned vibrations can control bubbles along predictable routes.
“It’s fascinating to see something as simple as a bubble reveal such complex and surprising behavior,” Guan concludes. “By harnessing a new method to move bubbles, we’ve unlocked possibilities for innovation in fields ranging from microfluidics to heat transfer.”
The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
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