Instability of equilibrium and appearance of ordered spatial structures on the free surface of ferrofluid

Abstract

The process of ordered spatial structures’ formation on the free surface of a magnetizable fluid in a steady magnetic field is considered. The stability boundary for the equilibrium state of the ferrofluid layer in a cylindrical solenoid with circular and rectangular crosssections is defined in a range of physical parameters. The initial stage of the flat free surface evolution is investigated when stability is lost.