Stabilization of a liquid bridge in air using AC electric fields under microgravity and observation of its deformation

A cylindrical liquid bridge under zero gravity becomes unstable when its length exceeds its circumference (the Rayleigh Plateau limit). The behavior of a liquid bridge stabilized by axial electric fields was investigated using the drop-shaft of the Japan Microgravity Center (JAMIC). It was confirmed that AC electric fields in air stabilized an almost cylindricai liquid bridge whose length was above the Rayleigh-Plateau limit for a short period under microgravity, and that the unstable liquid bridge under microgravity broke asymmetrically in the axial direction.