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The Alfvén frequency is the frequency of an Alfvén wave with wavevector $\mathbf{k}$ in a uniform magnetic field $\mathbf{B}$ and mass density $\rho$. For a vertical field and vertical wavenumber $k$, its square is ${\omega }_a^2=k^2{B}_z^2/({\mu }_0\rho )$. Its competition with orbital shear determines the ideal magnetorotational dispersion relation.

A shearing-wave ansatz in a uniform inviscid isothermal shearing sheet removes background advection when the radial wavevector grows as $k_x(t)=k_x(0)+S{k}_{y}t$. The razor-thin disk Poisson kernel reduces the pressure-plus-gravity amplitude to $[c_s^2-2\pi G{\Sigma }_0/k]{\tilde{\Sigma }}^{\prime }/{\Sigma }_0$. Continuity couples it to $i{k}_x{v}_x+i{k}_y{v}_y$, while the two momentum equations have rotational couplings $-2\Omega v_y$ and $(2\Omega -S)v_x$. The linearized vortensity amplitude remains constant, because the barotropic pressure and gravitational forces have zero curl and the background vortensity is uniform.

For a two-dimensional internal gravity wave with phase $kx+\int m(z)dz-\omega t$, a constant-phase line at fixed time has slope $dz/dx=-k/m(z)$. Its normal spacing from the next crest is $2\pi /(k^2+m^2{)}^{1/2}$; the wavevector $(k,m)$ is normal to the line. The intrinsic energy ray is tangent to these phase lines, while mean-flow advection changes the laboratory ray direction.

For two polarizations in area $A$ and $\omega =C|k{|}^{\alpha }$, counting wavevector states in a disk gives

The dynamic structure factor is the space-time Fourier transform of an equilibrium two-point correlation function. It resolves fluctuations by angular frequency and wavevector and is related to the dissipative part of a retarded Green function by the Fluctuation-dissipation theorem.

Elastic scattering preserves the total kinetic energy. For one particle scattered by a fixed target, the incoming and outgoing wavevectors therefore have equal magnitudes.

A local dispersion relation $\omega =\Omega (\mathbf{k};\mathbf{X},T)$ yieldsThe spatial and temporal derivatives on the right hold the wavevector fixed. Translation symmetries conserve the corresponding wavevector components, while time independence conserves frequency.

For a transverse complex velocity amplitude $\hat{\mathbf{u}}$ and real nonzero wavevector $\mathbf{k}$, write $\hat{\mathbf{u}}=\mathbf{a}+i\mathbf{c}$. Solenoidality makes both real vectors perpendicular to $\mathbf{k}$, so $\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{Re}(i{\hat{\mathbf{u}}}^{\ast }\times \hat{\mathbf{u}})=-\mathbf{a}\times \mathbf{c}=H\mathbf{k}$. The corresponding spatial average of kinetic helicity density is $-H{k}^2$. Cross-product order determines this sign.

For a propagating, non-cutoff two-dimensional internal gravity wave proportional to $e^{i(kx+mz-\omega t)}$, incompressibility gives $U=-mW/k$. Thus the oscillatory velocity field is perpendicular to the wavevector and parallel to the group velocity, whereas the phase velocity is parallel to the wavevector.

A wave is linearly polarized when its oscillating electric field always lies along one fixed line. For a transverse plane wave, that line is perpendicular to the wavevector. Unlike circular polarization, the field oscillates along the line rather than rotating through directions.

For the magnetized isothermal atmosphere, set $a=1/(2H)$, $s=v_s^2>0$, $b=v_a^2>0$ and $\Delta =i{k}_x{\xi }_x+i{k}_y{\xi }_y+(i{k}_z+a){\xi }_z$. After weighting the displacement by $e^{z/(2H)}$, the restoring Hermitian matrix $\mathsf{K}$ satisfiesThus $gH\le s$ makes the form nonnegative for every wavevector. If $gH>s$, choose $k_z=0$, $k_x\ne 0$, ${\xi }_z=1$, ${\xi }_x=-a/(i{k}_x)$ and ${\xi }_y=g/(si{k}_y)$. The squares vanish, and sufficiently small nonzero $k_y$ gives a negative form. The Rayleigh quotient proves instability when these wavelengths are admissible. Since $s=\gamma c_s^2$ and $\beta =2c_s^2/b$, the condition is precisely $\beta (\gamma -1)<1$.

For purely meridional wavevectors, $k=0$, $l\ne 0$, the growth rate of a uniform meridional upper-layer flow $V$ over a resting lower layer isGrowth requires $V\ne 0$ and $0<l^2<2F$. The perturbation has no northward velocity, so planetary vorticity advection does not explicitly stabilize it. At fixed normalized wind stress curl, $V=W/\beta$ means stronger $|\beta |$ nevertheless reduces the shear and growth rate.

The momentum transfer in a scattering process is the difference between the incoming and outgoing wavevectors, commonly $Q=k-k^{\prime }$ up to a sign convention and a factor of $\hslash$.