Degenerate Rayleigh-Plateau instability in a magnetically annealed colloidal dispersion

Abstract: This fluid dynamics video depicts the evolution of a suspension of paramagnetic colloids under the influence of a uniform, pulsed magnetic field. At low pulse frequencies, the suspension condenses into columns which decompose via a Rayleigh-Plateau instability. At high pulse frequencies, the suspension forms a kinetically arrested, system spanning network. We demonstrate the degeneration of the Rayleigh-Plateau instability with increasing pulse frequency.