Shear layer instability of an inviscid compressible fluid. Part 2

Abstract

The linear stability of a shear layer of an inviscid compressible fluid is considered. It is shown that there is instability of two-dimensional disturbances at all values of the Mach number, contrary to previous results for a vortex sheet. The difference arises from the discovery of a second unstable mode. This mode is supersonic, decays weakly with distance from the shear layer, and is not governed by the principle of exchange of stabilities. Detailed numerical and asymptotic results are given for the hyperbolic-tangent shear layer.