Dynamical transitions during the collapse of inertial holes

At the center of a collapsing hole lies a singularity, a point of infinite curvature where the governing equations break down. It is a topic of fundamental physical interest to clarify the dynamics of fluids approaching such singularities. Here, we use scaling arguments supported by high-fidelity simulations to analyze the dynamics of an axisymmetric hole undergoing capillary collapse in a fluid sheet of small viscosity. We characterize the transitions between the different dynamical regimes —from the initial inviscid dynamics that dominate the collapse at early times to the final Stokes dynamics that dominate near the singularity— and demonstrate that the crossover hole radii for these transitions are related to the fluid viscosity by power-law relationships. The findings have practical implications for the integrity of perforated fluid films, such as bubble films and biological membranes, as well as fundamental implications for the physics of fluids converging to a singularity.