Stability of capillary waves with arbitrary symmetry on the surface of a jet in a longitudinal electric field periodically varying with time

Abstract

The Mathieu differential equation for the evolution of the amplitudes of arbitrarily symmetric capillary waves (with arbitrary azimuthal numbers) propagating over the surface of a incompressible dielectric cylindrical liquid jet is analyzed. The jet is placed in a time-periodic uniform electric field that is parallel to the symmetry axis of the jet unperturbed by the wave flow. It is found that the time-varying electric field pressure parametrically builds up both axisymmetric waves on the jet surface, flexural waves, and flexural deformation waves. At a fixed frequency of the external field, waves with different wavelengths and symmetries (different azimuthal numbers) may build up simultaneously in the main demultiplication resonance, as well as in secondary and tertiary resonances. The parametric buildup of flexural deformation waves has a threshold relative to the external field frequency: it takes place at the field frequency exceeding a certain value depending on the jet radius and physicochemical properties of the liquid.