Jump conditions for stratified inviscid shear flow

At a material interface without surface tension, continuity of displacement and of the pressure evaluated on the displaced interface givesThe first follows from the kinematic boundary condition $ik(U-c)\hat{\eta }=\hat{w}$. The second uses $\hat{p}={\rho }_0[(U-c){\hat{w}}^{\prime }-U^{\prime }\hat{w}]/(ik)$ and hydrostatic displacement $[\hat{p}-g\rho \hat{\eta }]=0$. These conditions apply to density, velocity and vorticity jumps within the Boussinesq approximation.

For ${\psi }^{\prime \prime }={\alpha }^2\psi$ on $-1<z<1$ with endpoint values $P=\psi (1)$ and $Q=\psi (-1)$, the interior derivatives are ${\psi }^{\prime }(1)=\alpha [\coth (2\alpha )P-\mathrm{csch}(2\alpha )Q]$ and ${\psi }^{\prime }(-1)=\alpha [\mathrm{csch}(2\alpha )P-\coth (2\alpha )Q]$. Fitting the hyperbolic-function solution proves the map. It turns matching conditions into a finite-dimensional interface system, with exponentially small cross-interface coupling at large $\alpha$.

At an isolated interface with continuous base velocity, a stable density drop $\Delta \rho /2$ and a jump $[U^{\prime }]$ of base shear, decaying disturbances $w\propto e^{-k|z-z_i|}$ obey the displayed dispersion relation. It follows by inserting their derivative jump $[w^{\prime }]=-2kw$ into the jump conditions for stratified inviscid shear flow. Both the density jump and the vorticity jump contribute to the intrinsic phase velocity $c-U_i$.

Across a horizontal material interface with continuous background mass density but a velocity jump, an internal gravity wave preserves laboratory frequency and horizontal wavenumber. The matching conditions are continuity of displacement $w/\hat{\omega }$ and pressure, not continuity of $w$. For wave amplitudes and upward phase-line angles measured from the vertical ${\theta }_1,{\theta }_2$, define $r={\hat{\omega }}_2/{\hat{\omega }}_1$. Then the transmission coefficient isThe displacement condition is $A_i+A_r=A_t\cos {\theta }_2/(r\cos {\theta }_1)$, while pressure continuity gives $A_i-A_r=r{A}_t\sin {\theta }_2/\sin {\theta }_1$. Adding eliminates the reflected amplitude and gives the coefficient. It assumes nonzero intrinsic frequencies and propagating outgoing branches.

At a material velocity jump with continuous background mass density, vertical displacement $\eta$ and fluid pressure are continuous, while $w=ikU\eta$ need not be. For a stationary component, $p=U^2{\eta }_z$ and the signed upward-wave impedance is $Z=U^{2}m$. Reflection and vertical-displacement transmission are $R=(Z_1-Z_2)/(Z_1+Z_2)$ and $T=2Z_1/(Z_1+Z_2)$.

Two equal stable density jumps of size $\Delta \rho /2$ at $z=\pm h/2$ lie in the global linear shear flow $U=\Delta Uz/h$. Decaying normal modes haveThe jump conditions for stratified inviscid shear flow give the determinant equationWriting $\alpha =kh/2$, $J=g\Delta \rho h/({\rho }_0\Delta U^2)$ and $\tilde{c}=2c/\Delta U$, this isThe two roots for ${\tilde{c}}^2$ are real; one is negative exactly when $2\alpha /(1+e^{-2\alpha })<J<2\alpha /(1-e^{-2\alpha })$. At large $\alpha$, this narrow band centres on $J=2\alpha$, where the isolated counterpropagating interfacial gravity waves have the same zero laboratory speed. This realizes counterpropagating wave instability.