Vorticity generated by sound

Abstract

A revision is given of the basic theory of second-order effects caused by acoustic disturbances in a fluid, especially the vorticity giving rise to the ultrasonic wind, which was first explained by Eckart. The ultrasonic wind is produced by the interaction of the radiative and the non-radiative components of the acoustic motion. The wind speed is for the most part proportional to the acoustic attenuation coefficient. Wind-speed measurements thus usually furnish no more information about the second coefficient of viscosity, or the bulk viscosity, than do other attenuation measurements. It appears reasonable to regard the Stokesian bulk viscosity coefficient as a parameter of intramolecular and intermolecular relaxation processes. It does not have a unique value for all frequencies. Provided other parameters such as the coefficients of shear viscosity and heat conduction, and the specific heats are known independently, this effective bulk viscosity can be evaluated from any type of attenuation measurement. Measurements over large enough frequency ranges can distinguish among the contributions of different relaxation processes to the effective bulk viscosity coefficient.