Exact solution for one-dimensional acoustic fields in ducts with a quadratic mean temperature profile

The purpose of this Letter is to present an exact analytical solution for sound propagation in ducts with a quadratic mean temperature profile. Using appropriate transformations, the one-dimensional wave equation for ducts with an axial mean temperature gradient was reduced to the hypergeometric differential equation, whose solution can be expressed in terms of hypergeometric functions. The analysis neglects the effects of mean flow and is therefore valid only for small mean Mach numbers. (C) 1997 Acoustical Society of America.