STABILITY OF INSULATING VISCOUS JETS UNDER AXIAL ELECTRIC-FIELDS

The stability spectrum for a jet of perfectly insulating, viscous liqu id subjected to a longitudinal electric field is obtained for axisymme tric perturbations. Both dielectric forces at the interface and viscou s dissipation produce lower growth factors for all the range of unstab le wavelengths. If the imposed field is time varying, parametric reson ances are possible but they are easily suppressed, even by a small vis cosity, and the r.m.s. value of the dielectric pressure dominates over the pulsating part.