Experimental investigation of surface tension in Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids with optical diffractometry

In this paper using an optical method based on diffraction phenomenon, we studied surface tension of fluids. Diffraction patterns of a laser beam diffracted from surface waves, induced by an external acoustic wave generator, provides information of the surface of fluids. This information, in turn, enables calculating an experimental dispersion relation and surface tension of fluids. Spherical and cylindrical surface waves on fluids are generated by sticking a long thin needle and a thin metal plate, respectively, to a loudspeaker. Turning on the generator, the needle (or metal plate) causes waves on the surface, which act as a diffraction grating to the incident laser beam. The experiment and analysis were performed for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. Distilled water was used as a Newtonian sample fluid, and polyacrylamide solution was used as a non-Newtonian one. Our results predict considerable differences between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids behavior in terms of their surface wave dispersion.