Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2004 / iii / Paper 76 / 5 / a / ii / Solution

Select the causal Green function, zero for $t<0$; otherwise the impulse equation permits arbitrary homogeneous additions. Use the spatial Fourier transform convention $e^{-ikx}$ and the temporal Laplace transform boundary convention $e^{i\omega t}$. The transformed impulse equation isIf $\mu >0$, a literal real-frequency Fourier transform of the growing response need not exist. Its causal inverse instead starts on $\mathrm{Im}\omega =c>\max (\mu ,0)$ and is continued from there. For $t>0$ close the frequency contour below; its clockwise orientation and the pole residue $1/(-i)=i$ give $e^{-i\omega (k)t}$. For $t<0$ the upper closure contains no pole. The remaining inverse spatial transform is a Gaussian integral:The unit-mass Gaussian heat kernel tends to $\delta (x)$ at $t\downarrow 0$, giving the required impulse normalization.

At the advected center $x=Ut$, its amplitude is $e^{\mu t}/\sqrt{4\pi \gamma t}$. At a fixed spatial point,Thus $\mu >0$ permits growth of the moving wave packet, but it is convective hydrodynamic instability if the fixed-position rate is negative. A positive fixed-position rate is absolute hydrodynamic instability. At its equality threshold the $t^{-1/2}$ factor decays, explaining the marginal exponential classification. This directly verifies the physically selected Briggs-Bers criterion saddle rather than assuming its accessibility.