ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC TAYLOR-HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY OF A LIQUID WITH CONSTANT SHEAR

The linear electrohydrodynamic Taylor-Helmholtz instability between a dielectric liquid of constant shear and a vacuum, when there is a cons tant vorticity in the liquid and under the effect of a constant electr ic held acting tangentially to the interface between the two media is studied. The interfacial stability conditions are obtained for constan t shear, wavenumber (or wavelength) and electric held values. It is fo und that each of the constant shear, surface tension and the tangentia l electric held has a stabilizing effect. In the absence of the electr ic field, the corresponding pure hydrodynamical case is recovered and corrected The case when the applied electric held is acting normally t o the interface between the two media is also investigated for the cas es when there are and there are not surface charges present at the int erface, and stability conditions are obtained for both cases. It is fo und that the shear has a stabilizing effect, while the electric held h as always a destabilizing influence, and the instability is more effec tive in the second case than in the first one.