The Nonlinear Theory of Sound

Abstract

We prove the existence of ``pure tone'' nonlinear sound waves of all frequencies. These are smooth, space and time periodic, oscillatory solutions of the $3\times3$ compressible Euler equations in one space dimension. Being perturbations of solutions of a linear wave equation, they provide a rigorous justification for the centuries old theory of Acoustics. In particular, Riemann's celebrated 1860 proof that compressions always form shocks holds for isentropic and barotropic flows, but for generic entropy profiles, shock-free periodic solutions containing nontrivial compressions and rarefactions exist for every wavenumber $k$.