Abstract. The stream function y/ for axisymmetric Stokes flow satisfies the wellknown equation E4y/ = 0. In spheroidal coordinates the equation E2y/ = 0 admits separable solutions in the form of products of Gegenbauer functions of the first and second kind, and the general solution is then represented as a series expansion in terms of these eigenfunctions. Unfortunately, this property of separability is not preserved when one seeks solutions of the equation E4i// = 0. The nonseparability of Ea >// = 0 in spheroidal coordinates has impeded considerably the development of theoretical models involving particle-fluid interactions around spheroidal objects. In the present work the complete solution for ^ in spheroidal coordinates is obtained as follows. First, the generalized 0-eigenspace of the operator E2 is investigated and a complete set of generalized eigenfunctions is given in closed form, in terms of products of Gegenbauer functions with mixed order. The general Stokes stream function is then represented as the sum of two functions: one from the 0-eigenspace and one from the generalized 0-eigenspace of the operator E . A rearrangement of the complete expansion, in such a way that the angular-type dependence enters through the Gegenbauer functions of successive order, leads to some kind of semiseparable solutions, which are given in terms of full series expansions. The proper solution subspace that provides velocity and vorticity fields, which are regular on the axis, is given explicitly. Finally, it is shown how these simple and generalized eigenfunctions reduce to the corresponding spherical eigenfunctions as the focal distance of the spheroidal system tends to zero, in which case the separability is regained. The usefulness of the method is demonstrated by solving the problem of the flow in a fluid cell contained between two confocal spheroidal surfaces with Kuwabara-type boundary conditions.
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An exact analytic solution for the forward problem in the theory of biomagnetics of the human brain is known only for the (1D) case of a sphere and the (2D) case of a spheroid, where the excitation field is due to an electric dipole within the corresponding homogeneous conductor. In the present work the corresponding problem for the more realistic ellipsoidal brain model is solved and the leading quadrupole approximation for the exterior magnetic field is obtained in a form that exhibits the anisotropic character of the ellipsoidal geometry. The results are obtained in a straightforward manner through the evaluation of the interior electric potential and a subsequent calculation of the surface integral over the ellipsoid, using Lamé functions and ellipsoidal harmonics. The basic formulas are expressed in terms of the standard elliptic integrals that enter the expressions for the exterior Lamé functions. The laborious task of reducing the results to the spherical geometry is also included.
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