English

Phase-Textured Complex Viscosity in Linear Viscous Flows: Non-Normality Without Advection, Corner Defects, and 3D Mode Coupling

Analysis of PDEs 2026-01-19 v2 Mathematical Physics math.MP Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

We consider time-harmonic incompressible flow with a spatially resolved complex viscosity field μ(x,ω)\mu^*(\mathbf{x},\omega) and, at fixed forcing frequency ω>0\omega>0, its constitutive phase texture φ(x)=argμ(x,ω)\varphi(\mathbf{x})=\arg\mu^*(\mathbf{x},\omega). In three-dimensional domains periodic in a spanwise direction zz, zz-dependence of μ\mu^* converts coefficient multiplication into convolution in spanwise Fourier index, yielding an operator-valued Toeplitz/Laurent coupling of modes. Consequently, even spanwise-uniform forcing generically produces κ0\kappa\neq 0 sidebands in the harmonic response as a \emph{linear, constitutive} effect. We place μ\mu^* at the closure level τ^=2μ(x,ω)D(v^)\hat{\boldsymbol{\tau}}=2\,\mu^*(\mathbf{x},\omega)\mathbf{D}(\hat{\mathbf{v}}), as the boundary value of the Laplace transform of a causal stress-memory kernel. Under the passivity condition μ(x,ω)μmin>0\Re\mu^*(\mathbf{x},\omega)\ge \mu_{\min}>0, the oscillatory Stokes/Oseen operators are realized as m-sectorial operators associated with coercive sectorial forms on bounded Lipschitz (including cornered) domains, yielding existence, uniqueness, and frequency-dependent stability bounds. Spatial variation of φ\varphi renders the viscous operator intrinsically non-normal even in the absence of advection, so amplification is governed by resolvent geometry (and associated pseudospectra), not by eigenvalues alone. In the pure-phase class μ(x,ω)=μ0(ω)eiφ(x)\mu^*(\mathbf{x},\omega)=\mu_0(\omega)e^{i\varphi(\mathbf{x})}, the texture strength is quantified by μ0(ω)φL\mu_0(\omega)\|\nabla\varphi\|_{L^\infty}.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.08231,
  title  = {Phase-Textured Complex Viscosity in Linear Viscous Flows: Non-Normality Without Advection, Corner Defects, and 3D Mode Coupling},
  author = {Lillian St. Kleess},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.08231},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T09:02:08.964Z