Illustrations of Lighthill’s 1992 equations for the two-dimensional fluid motion and associated viscous dissipation within the cochlea

Abstract

Given the negligible longitudinal stiffness coupling within the cochlear partition, it is generally accepted that the cochlear fluid is the dominant medium of energy transport within the cochlear travelling wave. It is therefore important to be aware of its motion and viscous dissipation when considering the energy flux within it. In 1992, James Lighthill published analytically derived equations for the two-dimensional fluid motion and energy dissipation associated with the cochlear travelling wave (J. Lighthill, J. Fluid Mech. 239, 551-606, Appendix A). This paper attempts to graphically illustrate their meaning.