We have been analytically and computationally investigating the motion of a monolayer thin film (tether) held between two quasi-steady masses.  The monolayer tether is assumed to be stretched by an externally imposed symmetric stagnation point flow and interesting dynamics arise due to the competition between surface tension and convective flow.  In particular, we have been interested in whether the tether breaks in finite time and how such rupture occurs.

Mathematical modelling of this phenomena leads to a higher-order non-autonomous nonlinear diffusion-convection equation containing a parameter that takes different values depending on the thickness of the monolayer film.

We have analysed the behaviour of the evolution equation for general values of the parameter and have identified that for large enough values of the parameter rupture of the tether does not occur in finite time.

We are now writing this research up for publication in the near future.