B3.25

Waves in Fluid and Solid Media
Part II, 2002

Consider the equation

ϕt+ϕx3ϕx3=0\frac{\partial \phi}{\partial t}+\frac{\partial \phi}{\partial x}-\frac{\partial^{3} \phi}{\partial x^{3}}=0

Find the dispersion relation for waves of frequency ω\omega and wavenumber kk. Do the wave crests move faster or slower than a packet of waves?

Write down the solution with initial value

ϕ(x,0)=A(k)eikxdk\phi(x, 0)=\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} A(k) e^{i k x} d k

where A(k)A(k) is real and A(k)=A(k)A(-k)=A(k).

Use the method of stationary phase to obtain an approximation to ϕ(x,t)\phi(x, t) for large tt, with x/tx / t having the constant value VV. Explain, using the notion of group velocity, the constraint that must be placed on VV.