On the interfacial deformation of a magnetic liquid drop under the simultaneous action of electric and magnetic fields

The influence of uniform constant magnetic and electric fields, acting simu ltaneously, on a magnetic fluid drop is theoretically investigated, The dro p is suspended in another magnetic fluid that is immiscible with the former . Both fluids are regarded as incompressible, viscous, weakly electrically conducting, polarizable, and magnetizable. The relative orientation of elec tric and magnetic intensity vectors is arbitrary. The equation for the surf ace of the drop is obtained in the approximation of small distortion of the drop. It is shown that the surface is an ellipsoid whose semiaxes can be e xpressed in terms of the intensity vectors of the electric and magnetic fie lds. The relations determining the orientation of its principal axes are al so obtained. (C) 2001 Academic Press.