Mechanisms for acousto-electrokinetic coupling

Abstract

A variety of mechanisms exist to facilitate the transfer of energy from kinetic to electromagnetic in an ocean environment. The coupling of acoustic and electromagnetic fields is studied in relation to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and acousto-electrokinetic effects. Magnetic and electric fields are generated through fluid particle motion. These electromagnetic fields propagating mechanically alongside hydro-acoustic fields, give rise to pseudo-radiation. Sonomagnetism, an MHD effect, describes the magnetic fields generated by particle motions in electrically conducting media. The Debye effect, an electrokinetic phenomenon, describes the generation of electric and magnetic fields due to fluid particle acceleration in electrolytic solutions. A combined formulation for the Debye and sonomagnetic fields is presented for an arbitrarily moving solution. The derivation is formed to be a basis for future theoretical development and application. The solution is discussed with relation to magnetic fields generated in the ocean regime.