Definition
Wavenumber
The magnitude of an angular wavevector, measuring radians of phase change per unit distance.
For a wavevector , the angular wavenumber is , its Euclidean length. It measures spatial phase variation in radians per unit distance. In one dimension authors may instead use a signed wavenumber; the convention must be stated.
Frequency parameters
For , the local wavenumber is , not merely . If changes along a flow, viscous damping changes even when the carrier parameter is fixed.