Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

We study the dynamics of two charged point particles settling in a Stokes flow. We find what ranges of initial relative positions and what ranges of system parameters lead to formation of stable doublets. The system is parameterized by the ratio of radii, ratio of masses and the ratio of electrostatic to gravitational force. We focus on opposite charges. We find a new class of stationary states with the line of the particle centers inclined with respect to gravity and demonstrate that they are always locallyasymptotically stable. Stability properties of stationary states with the vertical line of the particle centers are also discussed. We find examples of systems with multiple stable stationary states. We show that the basin of attraction for each stable stationary state has infinite measure, so that particles can capture one another even when they are very distant, and even if their charge is very small. This behavior is qualitatively different from the uncharged case where there only exists a bounded set of periodic relative trajectories. We determine the range of ratios of Stokes velocities and ratio masses which give rise to non-overlapping stable stationary states (given the appropriate ratio of electrostatic to gravitational force). For non-overlapping stable inclined or vertical stationary states the larger particle is always above the smaller particle. The non-overlapping stable inclined stationary states existonly if the larger particle has greater Stokes velocity, but there are non-overlapping stable vertical stationary states where the larger particle has higher or lower Stokes velocity.

charged particles, stability, capturing orbits, Stokes equations, point-particle model

The qualitative behavior of charged particles in a vacuum is given by Earnshaw's Theorem which states that there is no steady configuration of charged particles in a vacuum which is asymptotically stable to perturbations. In a viscous fluid, examples of stationary configurations of sedimenting uncharged particles are known, but they are unstable or neutrally stable - they are not attractors. In this paper, it is shown by example that two charged particles settling in a fluid may have a configuration which is asymptotically stable to perturbations, for a wide range of charges, radii and densities. The existence of such „bound states” is essential from a fundamental point of view and it can be significant for dilute charged particulate systems in various biological, medical and industrial contexts.