Problem of instability of plane ferrocolloid layers in external magnetic fields

It has been previously observed that a domain structure forms in plane layers of concentrated magnetic liquids (ML) exposed to the effect of external magnetic fields. In the present work, the authors have experimentally investigated the processes of domain formation and domain instability development in alternating magnetic fields at various frequencies. The shapes and amplitudes, as well as the influence of the domain formation processes, on the light transmission through the ML layers in constant and alternating magnetic fields were analyzed. As the investigated medium, the authors used a polymer-containing ML, which in the absence of an external field represented a uniform colloidal suspension but which even in weak fields assumed a microdroplet structure, which was very sensitive to variations in the strength and direction of the external magnetic field. 17 refs., 6 figs