Stability analysis of the flow inside an electromagnetically levitated drop

The stability of the flow driven by the electromagnetic force of a HF levitation coil inside a drop is studied numerically using a spectral code. In the uniform or almost uniform external alternating magnetic field the first instability of the flow is three-dimensional with an azimuthal wave number of m = 3. The corresponding critical Reynolds number varies from 108 to 81 for various skin depth.