Force on a spinning sphere moving in a rarefied gas

The force acting on a spinning sphere moving in a rarefied gas is calculated. It is found to have three contributions with different directions. The transversal contribution is of opposite direction compared to the so-called Magnus force normally exerted on a sphere by a dense gas. It is given by F=-alpha(tau)xi2/3piR(3)mnomegaxv, where alpha(tau) is the accommodation coefficient of tangential momentum, R is the radius of the sphere, m is the mass of a gas molecule, n is the number density of the surrounding gas, omega is the angular velocity, and v is the velocity of the center of the sphere relative to the gas. The dimensionless factor xi is close to unity, but depends on omega and kappa, the heat conductivity of the body. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.