The effect of an electrostatic field on inviscid liquid flow down an inclined plane

For a study of nonlinear wave motion under an electrostatic field, the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation for inviscid liquid film flowing under gravity down an inclined plane has been derived, and the effect of the electric field on the stability of a solitary wave as a solution of the KdV equation is examined. Under a constant electrostatic potential the stability of the wave is not affected. However, with a slowly varying potential it becomes unstable.