Theory of fluctuations in colloidal suspensions undergoing steady shear flow

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Abstract
The static structure factor for colloidal suspensions in systems undergoing steady shear flow is calculated using response theory in the linear regime and using a fluctuating-diffusion equation in the nonlinear regime. In the second case, the intermediate-scattering function is also obtained. The theories give the structure factor for both high and low wave vectors. In the linear regime, both methods agree, although in certain wave-vector regions, the nonlinear terms cannot be ignored. When the theory is compared to that proposed using the "Stokes" assumption, some qualitative disagreements are found. The results are discussed in light of the experiments of Clark and Ackerson [Phys. Rev. Lett. 44, 1005 (1980)] and a possible experiment for determining the intermediate-scattering function is discussed.