Flow enhancement of electrical fluctuations in polymer solutions and melts

(Received 24 June 1992, accepted in final form 31 August 1992)

Abstract
We show that the origin of the enhanced electrical fluctuations under flow, observed over the last 15 years in polymer solutions, can be traced back to a dissipative cross coupling between the strain tensor (characterizing transient polymeric networks) and electric fields. Additional experiments to further test our picture are suggested.