Levitation recreates nature's dumbbells

Splash form tektites are tiny pieces of natural glass created out of spinning drops of molten rock flung from the earth during an extra-terrestrial impact — when the earth is hit by asteroids or comets. They come in a myriad of shapes — from dumbbell to doughnut — and the formation of these shapes has been the subject of scientific investigation for centuries. Using magnetic levitation to imitate weightlessness, researchers led by physicists at The University of Nottingham have manufactured solid wax models of these shapes. Dr Kyle Baldwin from the School of Physics and Astronomy , said: "These wax models provide the first direct experimental validation for numerical models of the equilibrium shapes of spinning droplets. This research is of importance to fundamental physics and also to study of tektite formation." Until now the shapes of rapidly spinning, highly deformed droplets have been derived entirely from numerical simulations. It is hoped this new experimental technique can be used to better reproduce and understand tektite formation. Their research — Artificial tektites: an experimental technique for capturing the shapes of spinning drops — funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is published today in the online, open access journal Scientific Reports.