Identify the physical origin of the master-curve functional form

Identify the physical origin of the functional form of the master curve relating normalized wormlike-micelle lifetime to the effective Weissenberg number across different temperatures and flow types.

Background

The study finds that normalized micellar lifetimes collapse onto a single curve when expressed as a function of the effective Weissenberg number, which incorporates both the flow-induced stretching rate along the micelle and the longest micellar relaxation time.

The authors caution that the simulations use only one surfactant model, so the master curve may depend on surfactant type because the energetic cost of micellar scission can vary. Although the collapse is established numerically, the physical basis of the curve’s particular functional form is not identified in the study.

References

Although the physical origin of its functional form could not be identified in the present study, systematic comparisons among different surfactant types may provide insight into the underlying mechanism.

— A unified description of flow-induced scission of wormlike micelles under shear and extensional flows  (2609.08235 - Koide et al., 8 Sep 2026) in Section 4, Conclusions, final paragraph