Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / iii / Paper 332 / 3 / b

Put $k_a=k$ ahead of the front and $k_b=k+\Delta k$ behind. With viscosity $\mu$, Darcy's law gives the planar pressure gradients $p_{a0}^{\prime }=-\mu U/k_a$ and $p_{b0}^{\prime }=-\mu U/k_b$. Write the displacement as $\eta e^{\sigma t+i\alpha y}$ with $\alpha >0$, and take the unperturbed interface to be $x=0$ in its translating frame.

The liquid flux is divergence-free away from the interface, so the pressure perturbations are harmonic. The decaying normal modes areExpanding pressure continuity at the displaced interface and matching normal Darcy flux givesHenceThe common normal-flux perturbation is $\delta u_n=-k_b\alpha B/\mu =\alpha U\Delta k\eta /(k_a+k_b)$. The local enthalpy balance converts it into a front-speed perturbation, $\sigma \eta =\delta u_n/(1+S\Delta \varphi )$. Thus the melting-front instability due to permeability contrast hasFor a signed transverse wavenumber, replace $\alpha$ by $|\alpha |$.