Parametric convection of a low-conducting liquid in an alternating electric field

Abstract

The development of parametric electroconvective instability of a low-conducting liquid in a horizontal capacitor under the action of an alternating electric field is studied. The conditions on which the free charge is generated due to autonomous unipolar injection are considered. The charge distributions over the liquid at rest are determined analytically and numerically, respectively, for low and arbitrary amplitudes of the external field. The limits of parametric electroconvective instability are found within the framework of the linear theory. It is shown that the perturbations can manifest themselves in different ways depending on the modulation amplitude and frequency of the electric field and be of the subharmonic, synchronous, or quasiperiodic type of the response. The characteristics of the resonance action, namely, the amplitudes and the frequencies necessary for the efficient generation of electroconvection, are determined.