Acoustic Equation in a Lossy Medium

Here, the acoustic equation for a lossy medium is derived from the first principle from the linearized compressible Navier-Stokes equation without Stokes' hypothesis. The dispersion relation of the governing equation is obtained, which exhibits both the dispersive and dissipative nature of the acoustic perturbations traveling in a lossy medium, depending upon the length scale. We specifically provide a theoretical cut-off wave number above which the acoustic equation represents a diffusive nature. Such a behavior has not been reported before, as per the knowledge of the authors.