The influence of an electromagnetic field on the wave-current interaction

TL;DR

This paper investigates how electromagnetic fields influence surface wave propagation on currents, revealing their potential to control wave blocking and applications in wave-breakers and microfluidics.

Contribution

It introduces three new dimensionless numbers to compare gravity, surface tension, and electromagnetic effects, advancing understanding of wave-current-field interactions.

Findings

Electromagnetic fields can strengthen or weaken wave blocking.

Phase diagrams show the impact of fields on wave velocities.

New dimensionless numbers quantify field effects relative to gravity and surface tension.

Abstract

We study the propagation of surface waves on a current in the presence of an electromagnetic field. A horizontal (vertical) field strengthens (weakens) the counter-current which blocks the waves. We compute the phase space diagrams (blocking velocities versus period of the waves) with and without surface tension. Three new dimensionless numbers are introduced to compare the relative strengths of gravity, surface tension and field effects. This work shows the importance of an electromagnetic field in order to design wave-breakers or in microfluidics applications.