We quantify the spatiotemporal transformation of a monodisperse and well-ordered monolayer of bubbles, as they undergo Ostwald ripening, by tracking the size polydispersity of the bubbles and local ordering of the foam. After nuclei of disorder appear at random locations, the transition takes place through two successive phases: first, the disordered regions grow while the value of polydispersity increases slowly, then the polydispersity grows rapidly once the disordered zones begin to merge together. The transition is captured by a modified logistic model.

• Received 1 August 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.238006