Neutral Rayleigh-mode dispersion correction 2026-10-14
Let , , and . The Wronskian identity for the first-order Rayleigh equation for inviscid shear flow, combined with neutral-mode critical-layer matching, gives . For real , its imaginary part is . The Cauchy principal value is necessary when the outer forcing has a simple real pole.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 76 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let , , , and . At a regular neutral Rayleigh equation for inviscid shear flow mode, multiply the equation by and evaluate it at the critical layer in a shear flow. The term multiplying vanishes, leaving . Therefore . If this condition failed, the coefficient would have a simple pole and a nonzero would force a logarithmically singular slope instead of a regular eigenfunction.
There is a sign error in the printed first-order equation. Direct expansion of the original Rayleigh equation for inviscid shear flow givesThe coefficient on the left must have a minus sign. Indeed, , and moving both first-order parameter corrections to the right gives exactly this equation. The plus sign printed there is incompatible with the original equation and its neutral eigenfunction. The later matching and integral formulas follow from the corrected equation. The PDF also has in the Taylor expansion of , and in the requested logarithmic coefficient; these are mistranscribed in the converted TeX.
Near zero, and . Thus , whereas . The singular part of the first-order equation isIntegrating twice on either side givesThe constant is common because the inner solution is continuous. The coefficient necessarily also contains : rescaling the neutral eigenfunction rescales its correction. One may choose the normalization if a formula only in terms of the flow derivatives and is wanted.
The outer expansion of fails when is comparable with . Therefore the distinguished limit isIn this inner variable, the original equation becomesAt orders one and , its right side is zero. Matching the outer expansion therefore selects and . At order , . The outer term becomes , so the required switchback term is . At order ,Integrating, or using the supplied hint, givesThe constants are homogeneous matching freedoms; they do not affect the slope jump. The quadratic term agrees with , another check on the sign of .
For , runs below the real axis. Choose the continuous branch of the complex logarithm there. At positive infinity its argument tends to zero; at negative infinity it tends to . Thus the linear parts of the two large- expansions of areThese expressions omit the already matched common quadratic term and terms only logarithmic or constant in . Matching the linear coefficients to proves the neutral-mode critical-layer matching relationThe sign comes from passing below the pole; taking would reverse it.
Finally use the Wronskian . Since and , subtraction gives . The wall boundary conditions give , soThis is the requested excised-interval identity. As , the equal logarithmic slope terms cancel andThe remaining real singular integral is interpreted as a Cauchy principal value, consistent with excision on both sides of the critical layer in a shear flow. DefineThen the neutral Rayleigh-mode dispersion correction iswhere the last form assumes a nonzero denominator. For real , , so the assumed growing branch must have the corresponding sign. If , the displayed logarithmic coefficient and jump vanish; further degeneracy can require higher-order analysis. No nonzero growth rate follows from that degenerate first-order calculation alone.