2,477 research outputs found
Higher Order Modulation Equations for a Boussinesq Equation
In order to investigate corrections to the common KdV approximation to long
waves, we derive modulation equations for the evolution of long wavelength
initial data for a Boussinesq equation. The equations governing the corrections
to the KdV approximation are explicitly solvable and we prove estimates showing
that they do indeed give a significantly better approximation than the KdV
equation alone. We also present the results of numerical experiments which show
that the error estimates we derive are essentially optimal
Nonlinear theory for coalescing characteristics in multiphase Whitham modulation theory
The multiphase Whitham modulation equations with phases have
characteristics which may be of hyperbolic or elliptic type. In this paper a
nonlinear theory is developed for coalescence, where two characteristics change
from hyperbolic to elliptic via collision. Firstly, a linear theory develops
the structure of colliding characteristics involving the topological sign of
characteristics and multiple Jordan chains, and secondly a nonlinear modulation
theory is developed for transitions. The nonlinear theory shows that coalescing
characteristics morph the Whitham equations into an asymptotically valid
geometric form of the two-way Boussinesq equation. That is, coalescing
characteristics generate dispersion, nonlinearity and complex wave fields. For
illustration, the theory is applied to coalescing characteristics associated
with the modulation of two-phase travelling-wave solutions of coupled nonlinear
Schr\"odinger equations, highlighting how collisions can be identified and the
relevant dispersive dynamics constructed.Comment: 40 pages, 2 figure
Analytic model for a frictional shallow-water undular bore
We use the integrable Kaup-Boussinesq shallow water system, modified by a
small viscous term, to model the formation of an undular bore with a steady
profile. The description is made in terms of the corresponding integrable
Whitham system, also appropriately modified by friction. This is derived in
Riemann variables using a modified finite-gap integration technique for the
AKNS scheme. The Whitham system is then reduced to a simple first-order
differential equation which is integrated numerically to obtain an asymptotic
profile of the undular bore, with the local oscillatory structure described by
the periodic solution of the unperturbed Kaup-Boussinesq system. This solution
of the Whitham equations is shown to be consistent with certain jump conditions
following directly from conservation laws for the original system. A comparison
is made with the recently studied dissipationless case for the same system,
where the undular bore is unsteady.Comment: 24 page
Whirling Hexagons and Defect Chaos in Hexagonal Non-Boussinesq Convection
We study hexagon patterns in non-Boussinesq convection of a thin rotating
layer of water. For realistic parameters and boundary conditions we identify
various linear instabilities of the pattern. We focus on the dynamics arising
from an oscillatory side-band instability that leads to a spatially disordered
chaotic state characterized by oscillating (whirling) hexagons. Using
triangulation we obtain the distribution functions for the number of pentagonal
and heptagonal convection cells. In contrast to the results found for defect
chaos in the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation and in inclined-layer convection,
the distribution functions can show deviations from a squared Poisson
distribution that suggest non-trivial correlations between the defects.Comment: 4 mpg-movies are available at
http://www.esam.northwestern.edu/~riecke/lit/lit.html submitted to New J.
Physic
The Modulation of Multiple Phases Leading to the Modified KdV Equation
This paper seeks to derive the modified KdV (mKdV) equation using a novel
approach from systems generated from abstract Lagrangians that possess a
two-parameter symmetry group. The method to do uses a modified modulation
approach, which results in the mKdV emerging with coefficients related to the
conservation laws possessed by the original Lagrangian system. Alongside this,
an adaptation of the method of Kuramoto is developed, providing a simpler
mechanism to determine the coefficients of the nonlinear term. The theory is
illustrated using two examples of physical interest, one in stratified
hydrodynamics and another using a coupled Nonlinear Schr\"odinger model, to
illustrate how the criterion for the mKdV equation to emerge may be assessed
and its coefficients generated.Comment: 35 pages, 5 figure
Wave Breaking and the Generation of Undular Bores in an Integrable Shallow Water System
The generation of an undular bore in the vicinity of a wave‐breaking point is considered for the integrable Kaup–Boussinesq (KB) shallow water system. In the framework of the Whitham modulation theory, an analytic solution of the Gurevich–Pitaevskii type of problem for a generic “cubic” breaking regime is obtained using a generalized hodograph transform, and a further reduction to a linear Euler–Poisson equation. The motion of the undular bore edges is investigated in detail
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