Exact dispersion relation for linear surface waves on arbitrary vertical shear
Abstract
We derive the formal solution to the dispersion relation for linear surface waves on a horizontal mean current with arbitrary vertical dependence. The problem is cast in a Green's function framework for the Rayleigh equation, neglecting viscosity but making no further approximations about the mean velocity profile. The solution is the dispersion relation in the form of a single, implicit equation relating -- and containing only -- the velocity profile, wave frequency, and wavenumber. By isolating curvature effects in a path-ordered exponential, we obtain a solution that serves as a natural starting point for systematic approximations. We demonstrate that our solution reduces to the expression found by Shrira (1993, J. Fluid Mech. 252, 565--584) in the deep-water limit, yields known asymptotic approximations, and recovers known analytical solutions in special cases.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2604.24484,
title = {Exact dispersion relation for linear surface waves on arbitrary vertical shear},
author = {Kjell S. Heinrich and Simen Å. Ellingsen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.24484},
year = {2026}
}