Thermal behavior of Maxwell–Sutterby fluid with electromagnetic field and variable properties over exponentially stretching surface

We examine the effects of viscoelasticity and shear-dependent viscosity in fluid flow over an exponentially stretching surface. The induced magnetic field is included due to high magnetic Reynolds numbers, which lead to significant interactions between the fluid velocity and the magnetic field. Activation energy and variable thermal conductivity are incorporated to assess their impact on heat transfer and fluid motion. Additionally, thermal slip and concentration effects are considered to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the boundary layer behavior. We develop the governing differential equations by applying the boundary layer approximation, reduce the system to coupled nonlinear partial differential equations. The resulting mathematical model is rendered dimensionless using suitable transformations. A numerical approach utilizing the bvp4c solver technique is carried out to obtain numerical computations of the resulting coupled ordinary differential equations. The effects of the relevant physical parameters are presented in both tabular and graphical formats. The Maxwell fluid factor increases the fluid elasticity and resistance to flow changes, resulting in lower fluid velocity within the boundary layer. As the Sutterby parameter increases, the effective viscosity becomes more prominent at lower shear rates, especially near the stretching surface. This leads to greater resistance to fluid movement and hinders the momentum transport from the surface into the fluid. Consequently, the fluid velocity decreases throughout the boundary layer. The insights obtained from present analysis are useful for thermal management systems and energy efficiency applications.