A diffuse interface model for two-phase ferrofluid flows

Abstract

We develop a model describing the behavior of two-phase ferrofluid flows using phase field-techniques and present an energy-stable numerical scheme for it. For a simplified, yet physically realistic, version of this model and the corresponding numerical scheme we prove, in addition to stability, convergence and as by-product existence of solutions. With a series of numerical experiments we illustrate the potential of these simple models and their ability to capture basic phenomenological features of ferrofluids such as the Rosensweig instability.