Nonlinear instability of charged liquid jets: Effect of interfacial charge relaxation

A linear and nonlinear study has been made of cylindrical interface, carrying a uniform surface charge in the presence of a finite rate of charge relaxation, is investigated by using multiple scales method. The linear stability flow is analyzed by deriving a dispersion relation for the growth waves, and solving it analytically and numerically to find marginal stability curves. We investigate the electric charge relaxation effects on the stability of the flow by considering various limiting cases. We also examine the effects of finite charge relaxation times in axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric modes. In the nonlinear approach, it is shown that the evolution of the amplitude is governed by a Ginzburg–Landau equation. There is also obtained a nonlinear modified Schrödinger equation describing the evolution of wave packets for small charge relaxation time. Further, the classic Schrödinger equation is obtained when the influence of relaxation time charge is neglected. On the other hand, the complex amplitude of quasi-monochromatic standing waves near the cutoff wavenumber is governed by a similarly type of nonlinear Schrödinger equation in which the roles of time and space are interchanged. This equation makes it possible to estimate the nonlinear effect on the cutoff wavenumber. The nonlinear theory, when used to investigate the stability of charged liquid jet, appears accurately to predict a new unstable regions. The effects of the surface charge and charge relaxation on the stability are identified. The various stability criteria are discussed both analytically and numerically and the stability diagrams are obtained.