On waves in gases. Part I: Acoustics of jets, turbulence, and ducts

This review on some aspects of waves in gases concentrates first (Part I) on modern research in the acoustics of fluids at rest or in steady or turbulent motion, in free space, in the presence of obstacles, or in ducts. The study of sound, for which the sole restoring force is pressure, will be extended in a later paper (Part II) to include the other three restoring forces, namely, gravity, electromagnetic, and Coriolis forces, leading to current research on internal, magnetic, and inertial waves and their couplings. The Introduction at the beginning of Part I, and the discussion at the end of Part II, concern all four types of waves in gases, and their relevance in physics and engineering. In Part I, the following areas of acoustics are addressed: the generation of noise by turbulence, inhomogeneities or bubbles, in natural and engineering flows, e.g., wind or jets; the scattering of sound by interfaces and diffraction by turbulence, and their effects on spectral and directional redistribution of energy; propagation in ducts, without or with mean flow, e.g., the horns of musical instruments and loudspeakers, and inlets and exhausts of engines; the effects of dissipation and nonlinearity on waves, e.g., in laboratory and engineering shock tubes, and in geophysical and astrophysical conditions. Underlying these topics is the interaction of acoustics with manking, ranging from the processes of human hearing and speech to the reproduction of desirable sounds (music) and reduction of undesirable sounds (noise).