Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
We consider the linearization of the three-dimensional water waves equation with surface tension about a flat interface. Using oscillatory integral methods, we prove that solutions of this equation demonstrate dispersive decay at the somewhat surprising rate of ${{t}^{-5/6}}$. This rate is due to competition between surface tension and gravitation at $O(1)$ wave numbers and is connected to the fact that, in the presence of surface tension, there is a so-called “slowest wave”. Additionally, we combine our dispersive estimates with ${{L}^{2}}$ type energy bounds to prove a family of Strichartz estimates.