Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / ib / Paper 3 / 18C / Solution

Let the perturbed interface be $z=\eta (x,y,t)$. For inviscid disturbances about rest, the initially irrotational velocities remain potential flows,in the upper layer $0<z<h$ and lower layer $-h<z<0$. The rigid walls impose no-penetration boundary conditionand zero normal derivative at $x,y=0,2h$. Linearizing the kinematic and pressure-continuity conditions at $z=0$ gives

The horizontal Neumann eigenfunctions arewhere $m,n$ are nonnegative integers, not both zero. For time dependence $e^{-i\omega t}$, the vertical factors satisfying the rigid lids areThe kinematic condition gives their interface valuesSubstitution into the dynamic condition yields the interfacial gravity-wave dispersion relationFor ${\rho }_2>{\rho }_1$, the lowest nontrivial wavenumber is $k=\pi /(2h)$, with the two degenerate modes $(m,n)=(1,0)$ and $(0,1)$. If ${\rho }_1\ll {\rho }_2$, the relation reduces to the finite-depth free-surface result ${\omega }^2\simeq gk\tanh (kh)$. If ${\rho }_1>{\rho }_2$, then ${\omega }^2<0$ and disturbances grow exponentially: this is the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.