Electronic edition ISSN 1574-0579

On the stability of the heated plane Poiseuille flow in magnetic fluids

Renu Bajaj

Centre for Advanced Study in Mathematics, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014, India

Abstract
The instability of a horizontal layer of magnetic fluid subjected to an external horizontal pressure gradient and an adverse temperature gradient in the presence of a vertical magnetic field is investigated. A stability analysis is carried out to study the instability occurring at high values of the Reynolds number. The magnetic field and the magnetization of magnetic fluids have a destabilizing effect on the heated Poiseuille flow. The transverse mode of linear instability is preferred over the longitudinal rolls for a small range of high Reynolds numbers. Figs 6, Refs 11.