The macroscopic effects of internal and external electric fields on profile and thermodynamics of a dielectric droplet

Abstract

The effects of weak and strong axisymmetric electric fields on the profile and thermodynamic characteristics of a dielectric droplet in the vapor-gas environment have been considered. The procedure for numerical solution of the coupled nonlinear equations for the equilibrium droplet shape and the electric field potential has been illustrated in the case of an external uniform electric field and the case of a nonuniform internal field of the heterogeneous nucleus with an electric dipole moment. Analytical results of perturbation theory for small nonspherical deformations in the droplet shape and surface area have been shown to be really limited to small electric field effects. However, the analytical results for the chemical potential and free energy of droplet formation (which are of first importance for nucleation phenomena and liquid aerosol formation in a gaseous atmosphere) are valid even for rather strong fields due to mutual compensation between the nonspherical contribution to the surface area and the contribution due to droplet polarization.