Abstract
The evolution of pre-rupture undulations at the liquid-air interface of thin non-wetting liquid films spread on a solid substrate was monitored in real time by non-perturbative interference microscopy. The spatial distribution of the incipient undulations is non-random and characterized by a typical wavelength, as predicted for van der Waals unstable films, despite the fact that the system is expected to be vdW-stable, and that ultimate dewetting of films appears to take place via a heterogeneous nucleation mechanism.