THE STABILITY OF A ROTATING LIQUID DROP.
Abstract
The stability of a rotating drop held together by surface tension is investigated by an appropriate extension of the method of the tensor virial. Consideration is restricted to axisymmetric figures of equilibrium which enclose the origin. These figures form a one-parameter sequence. It is shown that with respect to stability, the axisymmetric sequence of rotating drops bears a remarkable similarity to the Maclaurin sequence of rotating liquid masses held together by their own gravitation. Thus, at a point along the sequence (where & = 0.4587) a neutral mode of oscillation occurs without instability setting in at that point (i.e. provided no dissipative mechanism is present); and the instability actually sets in at a subsequent point (where & = 0.8440) by overstable oscillations with a frequency F. The dependence on & of the six characteristic frequencies, belonging to the second harmonics, is determined and exhibited. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 18, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0619234
Entities
People
- S. Chandrasekhar
Organizations
- University of Chicago