Prandtl–Meyer function

In aerodynamics, the Prandtl–Meyer function describes the angle through which a flow turns isentropically from sonic velocity (M=1) to a Mach (M) number greater than 1.

The maximum angle through which a sonic (M = 1) flow can be turned around a convex corner is calculated for M =

is the Mach number of the flow and

is the ratio of the specific heat capacities.

By convention, the constant of integration is selected such that

is the absolute value of the angle through which the flow turns,

is the flow Mach number and the suffixes "1" and "2" denote the initial and final conditions respectively.

Variation in the Prandtl–Meyer function ( ) with Mach number ( ) and ratio of specific heat capacity ( ). The dashed lines show the limiting value as Mach number tends to infinity.