Towards a Theory of Electromagnetic Effects Arising in Acoustically Excited Electrolyte Solutions

The present work is an effort to explain theoretically the physics of some processes we have observed in our previous experiments. They occur under any mechanical excitation in solutions of strong electrolytes. We assume that the occurrence of the low-frequency Debye ionic vibration potential (IVP) and the deviation of the RF polarization vector are conjugated, but only in the sense that the power flux density of some physical process ”X” responsible for the rotation of the polarization vector is proportional to the square of the electric potential voltage. While the independence of the RF anisotropy appearance from the applied voltage and from the Debye potential in particular has been proved experimentally. An equivalent electrical circuit that simulates the observed effects within the solution excited by an acoustic wave is proposed and tested for physical feasibility. Special attention is paid to the basic theory of the ionic vibrational potential, namely, its predictions in the low-frequency range, which contradict both experiment and the energy conservation law. Given the futility of describing the ”memory” effect as a process of electrical or molecular origin, several arguments are presented in favor of the fluidgyroscopic mechanism. It was suggested that the rotation of the polarization vector of the RF signal is due to a change in the electric moment of the liquid atoms and/or the nuclear moment of ions having an odd mass number. The applications of the research are also supplemented. The results of new experiments show that the RF anisotropy of the solution is transported by the carrier. Accordingly, it is possible to create a completely contactless unitary sensor of velocity and inhomogeneities of the liquid, moreover, the experimental setup has previously confirmed the affordability of the idea. In the previous article [1], we couldn’t formulate any complete theoretical foundations of the discovered physical effects. But now, it seems possible to present at least some preliminary hypotheses and 1 Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 4 June 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202106.0140. v1 © 2021 by the author(s). Distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY license. calculations. Let us list the phenomena recorded by us earlier for an aqueous solution of a strong electrolyte (in our case, a sodium chloride solution with a mass fraction of 0.9% or physiological solution): • The electrical potential arising from any accelerated movement of a portion of the solution or the passage of an acoustic wave through it is measured. It should be noted here that the only known acoustoelectric effect in electrolyte solutions is the Debye ionic vibration potential (IVP) [2–7]. Most likely, this is what we observe. But at low frequencies, the acoustoelectric effect has never been recorded before [6], except for an earlier study [8] where a jet was created in a solution using a piston pump, which can be thought of as a very low-frequency acoustic wave [9]. • For the first time, the radio-frequency anisotropy of the solution was discovered, which arises owing to the propagation in it of an acoustic wave, whereas the angle of rotation of the polarization vector is proportional to the energy of the acoustic pulse and does not depend on the power of the RF signal. • The acoustic wave passing through the solution causes a residual effect in the form of preserving the deviation of the polarization vector for a long time (not less than tens of seconds), i.e. there is a ”memory” effect [10] that has never been observed before in electrolyte solutions that do not contain specifically interacting particles (liquid crystals, polymers, colloids, etc.). Phenomena of IVP and radio-frequency anisotropy arise under the same conditions of solution disturbance, i.e. with mechanical or acoustic excitation. Therefore it would be correct, in our opinion, to try to assess the possible relations between the registered phenomena. However, it should be taken into account that we cannot use some basic concepts: for instance, instead of considering an object as isotropic, it will be essential to introduce either the concept of orthotropy of a solution in the receiving plane (i.e. there is always anisotropy in a resting solution, and upon excitation of the solution it can change) or explain its occurrence in our experiments in some other way. Meanwhile, it will be also needed to assume the system’s invariance in time. Moreover, when considering the memory effect, one will also have to discard the hypothesis of ergodicity [11]. Let’s ground the foregoing. It is known that the electrical conductivity of classical electrolyte solutions is, by definition, isotropic property that does not depend on the history of the system (within the framework of the immanent hypothesis, the deviation of the polarization angle is functionally associated with electrical conductivity). However, in the result of our experiments, two phenomena contradicting this statement were found, namely: Rotation of the plane of polarization, i.e. the presence of a path difference between the ordinary and extraordinary waves inside the solution. If the electrical conductivity remained isotropic, any of its simultaneous (or infinitely slow) change for the entire solution would rotate the plane of polarization in no way. It seems that in our case, the electrical conductivity transforms into a tensor changing over time. Such a phenomenon, so far, has been observed either for crystals with preferential directions or for specifically oriented structures [12, 13]. 2 Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 4 June 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202106.0140. v1