Formation of High Pressure Gradients at the Free Surface of a Liquid Dielectric in a Tangential Electric Field

Abstract

Nonlinear dynamics of the free surface of an ideal incompressible non-conducting fluid with high dielectric constant subjected by strong horizontal electric field is simulated on the base of the method of conformal transformations. It is demonstrated that interaction of counter-propagating waves leads to formation of regions with steep wave front at the fluid surface; angles of the boundary inclination tend to {\pi}/2, and the curvature of surface extremely increases. A significant concentration of the energy of the system occurs at these points. From the physical point of view, the appearance of these singularities corresponds to formation of regions at the fluid surface where pressure exerted by electric field undergoes a discontinuity and dynamical pressure increases almost an order of magnitude.