Critical equilibrium spheroidal deformation of a drop of dielectric liquid in a uniform electrostatic field

The stability of a dielectric drop, which in an external electrostatic field takes on the equilibrium shape of a prolate spheroid, is analyzed using the principle of minimum total potential energy of an isolated system. The values of the Taylor parameter and degree of spheroidal deformation at which the drop loses stability are determined for a wide range of dielectric constants of the substance of the drop. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 23–28 (July 1999)     

Mechanisms behind spheroidal oscillations and electrostatic instability of a charged drop

Mechanisms behind the oscillations of a charged spheroidal drop deformed at the zero time and the sequence of oscillation modes are investigated. It is shown that two modes adjacent to those governing the initial deformation are also excited on either side due to interaction between the spheroidal deformation and oscillation modes. If the charge of the drop is so close to a value critical for electrostatic instability that the finite-amplitude virtual initial deformation makes the fundamental mode unstable, its amplitude, as well as the amplitude of the nearest neighbor coupled to the fundamental mode through deformation, starts to exponentially grow with time. If the charge is equal to, or slightly exceeds the critical value, the amplitudes of the fundamental mode and all modes deformation-coupled with it lose stability almost simultaneously. This qualitatively changes the conditions under which the charged drop becomes unstable against the self-charge. The superposition of higher oscillation modes at the vertices of the spheroidal drop generates dynamic (i.e., time-oscillating) hillocks emitting an excessive charge.     

On the structure of the velocity field under the free spheroidal surface of a viscous liquid drop oscillating in an electrostatic field

An asymptotic analytical solution to an initial boundary-value problem considering (i) the time evolution of the capillary oscillation amplitude as applied to a viscous spheroidal liquid drop placed in a uniform electrostatic field and (ii) the liquid flow velocity field inside the drop is found. The problem is solved in an approximation that is linear in two small parameters: the dimensionless oscillation amplitude and the dimensionless field-induced constant deformation of the equilibrium (spherical) shape of the drop. Terms proportional to the product of the small parameters are retained. In this approximation, interaction between oscillation modes is revealed. It is shown that the intensity of the eddy component of the oscillation-related velocity field depends on the liquid viscosity and the external uniform electrostatic field strength. The intensity of the eddy component decays rapidly with distance from the free surface. The depth to which the eddy flow (which is caused by periodical flows on the free surface) penetrates into the drop is a nonmonotonic function of the polar angle and increases with dimensionless viscosity and field strength.     

Modification of the boundary layer theory for calculating viscous drop oscillations in a uniform electrostatic field

Capillary oscillations on the free surface of a viscous conductive liquid drop placed in an electrostatic field are calculated. In an approximation linear in stationary deformation amplitude, the drop in this field has the shape of a spheroid extended along the field. The initial problem is modified and simplified in terms of the boundary layer theory by applying an approximation that is linear in the oscillation amplitude and quadratic in the eccentricity of the drop. The accuracy of the approximate solution relative to an exact one is estimated. It is shown that, with a rise in the electrostatic field strength (with an increase in the eccentricity of the drop) and in the viscosity of the liquid, the boundary layer at the free surface of the drop becomes thicker.     

Nonlinear oscillations of an uncharged conducting drop in an external uniform electrostatic field

The problem of nonlinear oscillations of the finite amplitude of an uncharged drop of an ideal incompressible conducting liquid in an external uniform electrostatic field is solved for the first time by analytical asymptotic methods. The problem is solved in an approximation quadratic in amplitude of the initial deformation of the equilibrium shape of the drop and in eccentricity of its equilibrium spheroidal deformation. Compared with the case of nonlinear oscillations of charged drops in the absence of the field, the curvature of the vertices of uncharged drops nonlinearly oscillating in the field is noticeably higher, whereas the number of resonant situations (in the sense of internal resonant interaction of modes) is much smaller.     

On the possibility of corona initiation near a conducting drop nonlinearly vibrating in an external electrostatic field

An analytical asymptotic expression for the field strength near an ideal incompressible electrically conducting liquid drop nonlinearly vibrating in external electrostatic field E ₀ is found in an order of 5/2 in a small parameter. The small parameter here is the amplitude of deformation of the spherical shape of the drop. It is found that the strength of the electric field resulting at the tops of the drop exceeds the corona-initiating field even if E ₀ is one order of magnitude lower than the value at which the drop becomes unstable against the induced charge (that is, at such values of E ₀ as are observed in storm clouds in full-scale experiments).     

Local field enhancement near spherical nanoparticles in absorbing media

It is shown by numerical simulation that the enhancement of the field near metallic nanoparticles is most significant in the transparency region of the matrix material and falls off as the absorption coefficient rises. In an absorbing matrix medium this leads both to an increase in the fraction of energy absorbed by the matrix material and to a substantial transformation in its spectral distribution. This is illustrated for the case of copper phthalocyanine with silver nanoparticles. By choosing the size of the introduced plasmon nanoparticles it is possible to enhance the absorption in the visible for the materials used in solar cells and thereby increase their energy efficiency.     

Dispersing of a charged drop in an electrostatic field

The characteristics of the breakup of a charged drop in a uniform electrostatic field are calculated on the basis of Onsager’s principle of minimum dissipation of energy in nonequilibrium processes. The ranges of the physical parameters where daughter droplets are emitted from two tips and from one tip of an unstable parent drop and when emission is completely absent are found. The dimensionless radii, charges, and specific charges of the daughter droplets are determined. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 26–30 (December 1999)     

Disintegration of a drop in an external electrostatic field

Regular features of the disintegration of both a drop of a perfectly conducting liquid and a drop of a dielectric liquid into two or three parts in an external uniform electric field are studied using the principle of minimizing the potential energy of the final state of a closed system with spontaneous processes.     

The energy of a prolate spheroidal shell in a uniform magnetic field

The problem of the energy of a spheroidal magnetic shell, solved by methods of classical electrodynamics, arises, in particular, upon the study of thin-wall biocompatible microcapsules in connection with a pressing issue of targeted drug delivery. The drug inside a microcapsule should be released from the shell at a required instant of time by destroying the capsule’s shell. The placement inside a shell of magnetic nanoparticles sensitive to an external magnetic field theoretically makes it possible to solve both problems: to transport a capsule to the required place and to destroy its shell. In particular, the shell can be destroyed under the action of internal stress when the shape of a capsule is changed. In this paper, the analysis of the model of a magnetic microcapsule in the form of a prolate spheroidal shell is performed and formulas for the magnetostatic and magnetic free energy when the magnetic field is directed along the major axis of the spheroid are derived.     

Critical field enhancement near a superconductor-insulator transition

We have discovered a phenomenon where the orbital pair breaking effect is reduced, if not eliminated. It appears as a striking enhancement in the upper critical field H(c2) for (TMTSF)2PF6 and a strong upward curvature in the critical field versus temperature in the region of pressure-temperature phase space near the superconductor-spin density wave insulator boundary. A simple model based on self-consistently dividing the superconductor into layers explains the observations remarkably well and provides a unique way around orbital frustration and toward higher critical fields.     

Electric field enhancement near a surface bump

The enhancement of an external electric field near a hemispherical bump on a metal surface is calculated. The results provide a simple estimate for the magnitude of the surface enhanced Raman scattering expected in various configurations.     

Nonlinear oscillations of a charged drop accelerated in an electrostatic field

An analytical asymptotic solution to the problem of nonlinear oscillations of a charged drop moving with acceleration through a vacuum in a uniform electrostatic field is found. The solution is based on a quadratic approximation in two small parameters: the eccentricity of the equilibrium spheroidal shape of the drop and the amplitude of the initial deformation of the equilibrium shape. In the calculations carried out in an inertial frame of reference with the origin at the center of mass of the drop, expansions in fractional powers of the small parameter are used. Corrections to the vibration frequencies are always negative and appear even in the second order of smallness. They depend on the stationary deformation of the drop in the electric field and nonlinearly reduce the surface charge critical for development of the drops’s instability. It is found that the evolutions of the shapes of nonlinearly vibrating unlike-charged drops differ slightly owing to inertial forces.     

On the equilibrium shapes of a conducting drop in a uniform and nonuniform electric field

The equilibrium shape of a drop in the electrostatic field of a point charge and a point dipole is asymptotically calculated in terms of the dimensionless deformation of the shape and a ratio between the drop’s radius and the distance to the point charge (dipole). Irrespective of the degree of nonuniformity of the field, the prolate spheroidal deformation (typical of the uniform field) is shown to be the main reason for the change in the equilibrium shape of the spherical drop. When the nonuniformity of the field grows, the equilibrium shape becomes more and more asymmetric and different from the spheroidal one. This, all other things being equal, may influence the critical conditions for the instability of the drop’s surface against an induced charge. It follows from the aforesaid that the drop in the field of the dipole will be the first to undergo instability with the electrostatic pressure on the drop being the same.     

Some laws of polarization and dispersion of a drop in an electrostatic field

The laws of distribution among contributions in various interactions to the total polarization energy of a conductor in a uniform electrostatic field was analyzed. It is shown that in a closed system, spontaneous shape variations of a liquid conductor with a free surface in an external magnetic field are possible only if they are accompanied by an increase in the conductor dipole moment. Variations of the intrinsic energy of a conductor are studied by the example of a conductive liquid drop in the case where a drop affected by a polarization charge becomes unstable. Analytical expressions defining the sizes and charges of the droplets ejected out of the initial drop under the conditions of instability are derived.     

Instability of a charged spherical drop moving parallel to an external electrostatic field

It is shown that the pressure of electrostatic fields induced by the self-charge of a drop and by the polarization charge and aerodynamic pressure of a laminar gas flow around a moving charged drop acting simultaneously reduce the critical instability conditions for the surface of the drop. For these conditions, the spectrum of capillary oscillations of the drop is calculated. It is found that, at various values of the charge, field strength, and velocity of the drop, the vibrational instability of the drop surface develops through the interaction of different oscillation modes, namely, second and third, second and fourth, and third and fifth.     

Radiation of electromagnetic waves by a dipole in an external uniform electrostatic field

Exact solution for the electromagnetic field densities E and H of a dipole of uniformly accelerated point-charges with identical masses is discussed. It is shown that, for any fixed time t and a large distance R between the center of the dipole and the fieldpoint, |E| ~ R ^?4, |H| ~ R ^?5, while for large c|t| ~ R, |E| ~ |H| ~1/R as in spherical electromagnetic waves. Nevertheless, any irreversible radiation of electromagnetic waves is absent since the wave zone does not exist.     

氢负离子在均匀电场和金属面附近的光剥离研究

利用闭合轨道理论,计算了氢负离子在均匀电场和金属面附近的光剥离截面.结果表明,在均匀电场的基础上加上金属面之后,在电离阈附近氢负离子的光剥离截面发生了很大的变化,和仅有均匀电场存在时的光剥离截面相比,截面的振荡幅度增大,振荡频率减小.并且在电场强度相同时,随着金属面与氢负离子距离的不断增大,光剥离截面振荡的幅度不断减小,振荡的频率不断增大,当金属面和氢负离子的距离增大到一定值时,金属面的影响消失,氢负离子的光剥离截面趋近于只有电场存在时的情况.这一结果对于研究负离子体系在界面附近的光剥离问题具有一定的参考价值.     

Large enhancement and uniform distribution of optical near field through combining periodic bowtie nanoantenna with rectangular nanoaperture array

We present a novel (to the best of our knowledge) composite nanostructure composed of bowtie nanoantennas (BNAs) and rectangular nanoapertures, which provides a new way to improve the ability of the nanostructure to enhance the optical near field and obtain uniform near-field distribution in the z direction. It is specifically engineered to not only confine the incident light in the nanoscale but also to generate large localized near-field enhancement about 25 times larger than that of solitary BNAs. It also shows a more uniform near-field distribution in the z direction than that of solitary BNAs. The mechanisms of the large enhancement and the uniform near field are also discussed.