Electronic edition ISSN 1574-0579

Stability of capillary--gravity waves in the presence of magnetic surfactant in an external magnetic field

A. V. Zhukov

Institute of Mechanics, Moscow State University, 117192 Moscow, Russia

Abstract
The stability of the capillary-gravity wave motion on the horizontal free surface of a viscous incompressible fluid in the presence of a magnetic surfactant in an external magnetic field was studied. It is shown that for a normal as well as for a tangential external magnetic field the horizontal free liquid surface is unstable for a field strength exceeding some critical value that does not depend on the elastic constant of the surfactant film. However, for an oblique external magnetic field the stability of the free surface depends not only on the field value but also on the surfactant elastic constant. Figs 2, Refs 4.