Stability of an Electrostatically Supported Fluid Column

Abstract

An analytical and experimental study has been made of the cylindrical interface between two dielectric liquids under the influence of electrostrictive forces and surface tension. The analysis indicates that, for ``high''-frequency applied fields such an interface can be stable. For stability, the applied voltage must be great enough to suppress surface tension effects and lower than some analytically determined critical value. For voltage greater than this critical value, experiments indicate that the interface is deformed in an unusual manner.