Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2012 / iii / Paper 7 / 2 / a / Solution

Use the conventional Laplace operator $\Delta ={\partial }_{x_1}^2+{\partial }_{x_2}^2$. The fundamental solution of the Laplace equation in two dimensions is $G(x)=(2\pi {)}^{-1}\log |x|$, with $\Delta G={\delta }_0$. To check its sign, integrate the outward normal derivative around a circle: ${\int }_{\partial B_{\epsilon }}{\partial }_n\log |x|ds=2\pi$. Applying integration by parts against a smooth compactly supported test function and shrinking the circle gives the distributional identity.

The printed stream function has $\varphi =-G\ast \omega$. For each multi-index $\beta$ with $|\beta |\le 2$, transfer derivatives to the compactly supported $C^2$ function:The logarithmic singularity is locally integrable. On a bounded region in $x$, the convolution uses one fixed bounded region in the integration variable; splitting off a small disk around the singularity proves continuity of these derivatives. Thus $\varphi \in C^2$, and convolution of the distributional identity givesThe asserted plus sign is false for the printed kernel and the conventional Laplacian. Any nonzero smooth compactly supported $\omega$ is a counterexample. To obtain $\Delta \varphi =\omega$, replace the kernel's minus sign by a plus sign, or explicitly adopt the negative Laplace operator. Below, retain the printed kernel and velocity convention. With that convention, $\mathrm{curl}u=\Delta \varphi =-\omega$, so $\omega$ is the negative of conventional scalar vorticity. This sign does not change the transport or flow arguments.