Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to study the resonance spectrum of a cavity containing a compressible viscous fluid. This system admits a discrete infinite sequence of eigenvalues whose real parts are negative, which is interpreted as the damping effect introduced by viscosity. Only a finite number of them have non-zero imaginary parts and this number depends on viscosity; a simple criterion is given for their position in the complex plane. The case of a cavity containing an elastic mechanical system immersed in the fluid is also examined; from a qualitative point of view, the nature of the resonance spectrum remains unchanged. |