B3.24

Fluid Dynamics II
Part II, 2001

A planar flow of an inviscid, incompressible fluid is everywhere in the xx-direction and has velocity profile

u={Uy>0,0y<0.u=\left\{\begin{array}{cc} U & y>0, \\ 0 & y<0 . \end{array}\right.

By examining linear perturbations to the vortex sheet at y=0y=0 that have the form eikxiωte^{i k x-i \omega t}, show that

ω=12kU(1±i)\omega=\frac{1}{2} k U(1 \pm i)

and deduce the temporal stability of the sheet to disturbances of wave number kk.

Use this result to determine also the spatial growth rate and propagation speed of disturbances of frequency ω\omega introduced at a fixed spatial position.