Effects of physical properties and geometry on shapes and stability of polarizable drops in external fields

摘要

Equilibrium shapes and stability of linearly and nonlinearly polarizable drops floating freely between the two faces of a parallel-plate capacitor and subjected to an electric (magnetic) field are found by solving the Young-Laplace equation for surface shape and the Maxwell equations for field distribution. Accounting for nonlinear polarization at last brings theory and experiment into accord. Finite plate separation - as in any real experiment - is also found to play a big role.