Acoustic multipole source

Acoustic sources may be organized by the number of spatial derivatives in their effective wave equation forcing. A direct scalar source is an acoustic monopole, a divergence of a force density an acoustic dipole, and a double divergence of a stress tensor an acoustic quadrupole.

An acoustic quadrupole has forcing ${\partial }_i{\partial }_j{T}_{ij}$. The acoustic compact-source approximation reduces its leading far-field density to $n_i{n}_j{\ddot{S}}_{ij}/(4\pi c_0^{4}r)$ in three dimensions, with $S_{ij}=\int T_{ij}{d}^{3}y$ evaluated at retarded time.

Two diametrically opposite rotating blades with equal tangential loads have zero total rotating force. Their leading compact acoustic dipoles cancel, but their retarded positions and moving-surface retarded Jacobians leave an acoustic quadrupole. For line load $2Fr/a^2$ and angular speed $\Omega$, the first radiating density is $2F{\Omega }^{2}a{\sin }^2\theta \sin (2\Omega {\tau }_0)/(3\pi c_0^{4}R)$. The twofold geometry gives frequency $2\Omega$, while projection into the rotor plane gives the amplitude directivity ${\sin }^2\theta$.

For a low-Mach number source with stress $O({\rho }_0{U}^2)$ and advective time $\ell /U$, the three-dimensional compact acoustic quadrupole has density amplitude $O({\rho }_0{M}^4\ell /r)$, where $M=U/c_0$. The power depends on these source-time and stress hypotheses, not only on the quadrupole label.

In two dimensions, the outgoing harmonic Helmholtz equation kernel has magnitude proportional to $(k_{0}r{)}^{-1/2}$. Combining this spreading with the compact acoustic quadrupole source and $k_0\ell =O(M)$ changes the density-amplitude Mach number power to $7/2$ when geometric range is separated.

An acoustic dipole represents an applied force density. A surface force defect contributes $-{\partial }_i(L_i{\delta }_s)$ to the density wave equation.

For a small body of size $l$ in flow of speed $u$, force of order ${\rho }_0{u}^2{l}^2$ varying on time $l/u$ produces an acoustic dipole density amplitude of the displayed order, where $M=u/c_0$ is the Mach number. Its sound power scales as ${\rho }_0{u}^6{l}^2/c_0^3$. The corresponding compact acoustic quadrupole Mach-number scaling has density amplitude of order $(l/r)M^4$ and power ${\rho }_0{u}^8{l}^2/c_0^5$.

An acoustic monopole represents unsteady mass or volume injection. A moving-interface mass-flux defect contributes ${\partial }_t(Q{\delta }_s)$ to the density wave equation.

A point source moving at angular speed $\Omega$ on a circle of radius $a$ has observer-direction Mach number $m=\Omega a\sin \iota /c_0$. In the far field its retarded phase satisfies $\Theta +\theta -\pi /2=\Omega (t-r/c_0)+m\sin \Theta$. For $m<1$ there is one retarded root, and a constant source strength gives ${\rho }^{\prime }=q\dot{\Theta }/(4\pi c_0^2\Omega r)$. For $m>1$, multiple retarded roots can occur; their contributions require $|1-m\cos \Theta |$ and a sum over roots. Coalescing roots produce a caustic in the ideal point-source model.