Anomalous bubble propagation in elastic tubes

Airway reopening is an important physiological event, as exemplified by the first breath of an infant that inflates highly collapsed airways by driving a finger of air through its fluid-filled lungs. Whereas fundamental models of airway reopening predict the steady propagation of only one type of bubble with a characteristic rounded tip, our experiments reveal a surprising selection of novel bubbles with counterintuitive shapes that reopen strongly collapsed, liquid-filled elastic tubes. Our multiple bubbles are associated with a discontinuous relationship between bubble pressure and speed that sets exciting challenges for modelers.