Frozen waves in the inertial regime

Interfaces subjected to strong time-periodic horizontal accelerations exhibit remarkable patterns known as frozen waves. We have experimentally and numerically explored the formation of such structures within immiscible fluids under high forcing frequencies. It is demonstrated that in the inertial regime, characterized by large Reynolds and Weber numbers—where surface tension and viscosity effects become negligible—the amplitude of the frozen waves increases proportionally to the square of the forcing velocity. These findings are consistent with vibro-equilibria theory and confirm the predictions made by Grea & Briard (2019) for miscible fluids. Additionally, we have investigated the influence of Reynolds and Weber numbers on the secondary Faraday instabilities, illustrating the transition of frozen wave patterns toward a homogenized state.