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We depict and analyse the successive steps of atomization of a liquid jet when a fast gas stream blows parallel to its surface. Experiments performed with various liquids in a fast air flow show that the liquid destabilization proceeds from a two-stage mechanism: a shear instability first forms waves on the liquid. The transient acceleration experienced by the liquid suggests that a Rayleigh–Taylor type of instability is triggered at the wave crests, producing liquid ligaments which further stretch in the air stream and break into droplets. The primary wavelength \, \, (₁/₂) ^1/2 is set by the vorticity thickness, in the fast air stream and the liquid/gas density ratio ₁/₂. The transverse corrugations of the crests have a size \, \, _{}^-1/3 (₁/₂) ^1/3, where _\, =\, ₂u₂^2/ is the Weber number constructed on the gas velocity u₂ and liquid surface tension. The ligament dynamics gives rise, after break-up, to a well-defined droplet size distribution whose mean is given by. This distribution bears an exponential tail characteristic of the broad size statistics in airblast sprays.
Marmottant et al. (Sat,) studied this question.