Vortex-mediated bouncing drops on an oscillating liquid.

We have investigated the behavior of bouncing drops on a liquid surface by using particle image velocimetry analysis. A drop on an oscillating liquid surface is observed to not coalesce with the liquid and to travel along the surface if the oscillation is strong enough. A streaming vortex pair, induced by the alternatively distorted liquid surface, shows up below a bouncing drop. The time-averaged flow fields of the vortices are measured. In our quasi-one-dimensional setup, there are three stable distances for the drops, which can be characterized by the Faraday wavelength. The interactions of the vortex-mediated bouncing drops are deduced from the streamlines in the liquid bulk. We further show that a three-dimensional vortex ring is induced by a bouncing drop in a square cell.