Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 331 4 e Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Let and denote the full third-order coefficients. This notation keeps the detuning term, proportional to , and the slow-time term, proportional to , visible. DefineThe equations at order areEquivalently, where , the question's coefficients satisfy and . Eliminate from the full coefficients:Use the Fredholm solvability condition for a self-adjoint operator. With , projection onto the critical eigenfunction makes the left side vanish. Therefore the Landau amplitude equation isThese integrals already answer the requested coefficient calculation. Evaluating them gives , , and . Hence, for the prescribed normalization,The cubic term opposes growth, so the nonzero steady amplitudes are stable equilibria within the chosen roll phase. The conductive state is unstable for this positive detuning. This is supercritical saturation of Darcy convection rolls.