Physical Review E
American Physical Society
Inhomogeneous magnetic fields exert a body force on electrically nonconducting, diamagnetic fluids. This force can be used to compensate for gravity and to control convection. The field effect on convection is represented by a dimensionless vector parameter Rm=(μ0αχ0d3ΔT/ρ0νDT)(H⋅∇H)r=0ext, which measures the relative strength of the induced magnetic buoyancy force due to the applied field gradient. The vertical component of this parameter competes with the gravitational buoyancy effect and a critical relationship between this component and the Rayleigh number is identified for the onset of convection. Magnetically driven convection should be observable even in pure water using current technology.
“Magnetic control of convection in nonconducting diamagnetic fluids,” J. Huang, D. D. Gray, and B. F. Edwards, Phys. Rev. E 58, 5164 (1998) .