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September 6, 2013

"El Collar del Hierro: The Ferro-Necklace"

"El Collar del Hierro: The Ferro-Necklace."

This photo shows necklace-like shapes created by an oil-based magnetic fluid (or ferrofluid) floating on water and under the influence of a magnetic field. The dark, solid structures are due to the agglomeration of fine iron-containing nanoparticles in the fluid. The lighter floating fluid structures are formed due to a fluid instability related to surface tension effects.

This graphic was a finalist in the 2005 Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge (SciVis) competition, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Journal Science. The competition is held each year to recognize outstanding achievements by scientists, engineers, visualization specialists and artists who are innovators in using visual media to promote the understanding of research results and scientific phenomena. To learn more about the competition and view all the winning entries, see the SciVis Special Report. (Date of Image: unknown)

Credit: Ashok Sinha, Ranjan Ganguly and Ishwar K. Puri, Engineering Science and Mechanics Department, Virginia Polytechnic and State University

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