Ubiquity of domain patterns in sheared viscoelastic fluids.

A ubiquitous domain pattern is observed in two-phase viscoelastic fluids falling within the simple paradigmof soft viscoelastic domains suspended in a less viscoelastic fluid under shear flow. Three strikingly differentcomplex fluids exhibit the same shear-induced domain structure, which we relate to the elasticity of thedispersed phase via an approximate Weissenberg number. We suggest a physical mechanism for the formationof this pervasive pattern, independent of the dynamic origin of the elasticity of the suspended phase.DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.69.061503 PACS number(s): 83.50.2v, 82.70.2y, 83.60.HcI. INTRODUCTION