Small deformation theory for a magnetic droplet in a rotating field

Abstract

A three-dimensional small deformation theory is developed to examine the motion of a magnetic droplet in a uniform rotating magnetic field. The equations describing the droplet's shape evolution are derived using two different approaches—a phenomenological equation for the tensor describing the anisotropy of the droplet and the hydrodynamic solution using the perturbation theory. We get a system of ordinary differential equations for the parameters describing the droplet's shape, which we further analyze for the particular case when the droplet's elongation is in the plane of the rotating field. The qualitative behavior of this system is governed by a single dimensionless quantity τω—the product of the characteristic relaxation time of small perturbations and the angular frequency of the rotating magnetic field. Values of τω determine whether the droplet's equilibrium will be closer to an oblate or a prolate shape, as well as whether its shape will undergo oscillations as it settles to this equilibrium. We show that for small deformations, the droplet pseudo-rotates in the rotating magnetic field—its long axis follows the field, which is reminiscent of a rotation; nevertheless, the torque exerted on the surrounding fluid is zero. We compare the analytic results with boundary element simulation to determine their accuracy and the limits of the small deformation theory.