title: Equilibrium orientation of an ellipsoidal particle inside a dielectric medium with a finite electric conductivity in the external electric field.
abstract: We study the stability of the orientation of an ellipsoidal dielectric particle immersed into a host dielectric medium under the action of the external electric field. It is assumed that the particle and the host medium have a finite electric conductivity. We demonstrate that an equilibrium orientation of the ellipsoidal particle changes with time in a stationary electric field with a constant direction. It was found that during time interval T1 an equilibrium orientation of the spheroidal particle with a finite electric conductivity remains the same as the equilibrium orientation of an ideal dielectric particle. During time interval T2 , where T= T1 + T2 is a period of the external electric field, the equilibrium orientation of the axis of symmetry of the particle is normal to the initial equilibrium direction.
authors.affiliation: The Pearlstone Center for Aeronautical Engineering Studies, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. yuli@menix.bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dolinsky
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elperin