Multiple bubble dynamics and velocity selection in Laplacian growth without surface tension (Q6191529)

This paper is an important step forward to understand the multiple interface motion under potential flow. The general flow domain is a finite assembly of inviscible bubbles in a Hele-Shaw channel. In [\textit{M. Mineev-Weinstein}, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, No. 10, 2113--2116 (1998; \url{doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.80.211}); \textit{G. L. Vasconcelos} and \textit{M. Mineev-Weinstein}, Phys. Rev. E 89, No. 6, Article ID 061003, 5 p. (2014; \url{doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.89.061003})] it has been proven that the pattern selection given by Saffman and Taylor in 1958 can be obtained without surface tension. These (and other subsequent) works addressed only a single interface. The present paper extends the result for multiple interfaces, also with no surface tension. A previous results of the authors, obtained in 2015 for the steady case, is extended to unsteady case. Exact time-dependent solutions which remain finite for all times are given in section 3. Velocity selection is studied in section 4, related to the singularity role that can be attributed to the surface tension. A specific (well known) ratio of asymptotic and uniform background velocities is obtained. Important mathematical tools are: the secondary Schottky-Klein prime functions; a specific conformal mapping; the Schwarz function of the bubbles boundaries. In the last part are given three very interesting appendices with important details concerning these tools.