Nonlinear theory for coalescing characteristics in multiphase Whitham modulation theory

The multiphase Whitham modulation equations with $N$ phases have $2N$ 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

Phase dynamics of periodic wavetrains leading to the 5th order KP equation

Using the previous approach outlined in Ratliff and Bridges (2016, 2015), a novel method is presented to derive the fifth order Kadomtsev–Petviashvili(KP) equation from periodic wavetrains. As a result, the coefficients and criterion for the fifth order KP to emerge take a universal form that can be determined a-priori, relating to the system’s conservation laws and the termination of a Jordan chain. Moreover, the analysis reveals that generically a mixed dispersive term appears within the final phase equation. The theory presented here is complimented by an example from the context of flexural gravity waves in shallow water and a higher order Nonlinear Schrödinger model relevant in plasma physics, demonstrating how the coefficients in this model are determined via elementary calculations

Double Degeneracy in Multiphase Modulation and the Emergence of the Boussinesq Equation

In recent years, a connection between conservation law singularity, or more generally zero characteristics arising within the linear Whitham equations, and the emergence of reduced nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) from systems generated by a Lagrangian density has been made in conservative systems. Remarkably, the conservation laws form part of the reduced nonlinear system. Within this paper, the case of double degeneracy is investigated in multiphase wavetrains, characterized by a double zero characteristic of the linearized Whitham system, with the resulting modulation of relative equilibrium (which are a generalization of the modulation of wavetrains) leading to a vector two‐way Boussinesq equation. The derived PDE adheres to the previous results (such as [1]) in the sense that all but one of its coefficients is related to the conservation laws along the relative equilibrium solution, which are then projected to form a corresponding scalar system. The theory is applied to two examples to highlight how both the criticality can be assessed and the two‐way Boussinesq equation's coefficients are obtained. The first is the coupled Nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) system and is the first time the two‐way Boussinesq equation has been shown to arise in such a context, and the second is a stratified shallow water model which validates the theory against existing results

Flux singularities in multiphase wavetrains and the Kadomtsev‐Petviashvili equation with applications to stratified hydrodynamics

This paper illustrates how the singularity of the wave action flux causes the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) equation to arise naturally from the modulation of a two-phased wavetrain, causing the dispersion to emerge from the classical Whitham modulation theory. Interestingly, the coefficients of the resulting KP are shown to be related to the associated conservation of wave action for the original wavetrain, and therefore may be obtained prior to the modulation. This provides a universal form for the KP as a dispersive reduction from any Lagrangian with the appropriate wave action flux singularity. The theory is applied to the full water wave problem with two layers of stratification, illustrating how the KP equation arises from the modulation of a uniform flow state and how its coefficients may be extracted from the system

A New Data Source for Inverse Dynamics Learning

Modern robotics is gravitating toward increasingly collaborative human robot interaction. Tools such as acceleration policies can naturally support the realization of reactive, adaptive, and compliant robots. These tools require us to model the system dynamics accurately -- a difficult task. The fundamental problem remains that simulation and reality diverge--we do not know how to accurately change a robot's state. Thus, recent research on improving inverse dynamics models has been focused on making use of machine learning techniques. Traditional learning techniques train on the actual realized accelerations, instead of the policy's desired accelerations, which is an indirect data source. Here we show how an additional training signal -- measured at the desired accelerations -- can be derived from a feedback control signal. This effectively creates a second data source for learning inverse dynamics models. Furthermore, we show how both the traditional and this new data source, can be used to train task-specific models of the inverse dynamics, when used independently or combined. We analyze the use of both data sources in simulation and demonstrate its effectiveness on a real-world robotic platform. We show that our system incrementally improves the learned inverse dynamics model, and when using both data sources combined converges more consistently and faster.Comment: IROS 201

The modulation of multiple phases leading to the modified Korteweg–de Vries equation

This paper seeks to derive the modified Korteweg–de Vries (mKdV) equation using a novel approach from systems generated from abstract Lagrangians possessing a two-parameter symmetry group. The method utilises 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 Schrödinger model, to illustrate how the criterion for the mKdV equation to emerge may be assessed and its coefficients generated. Interacting nonlinear waves of two or more phases are a rich source of instability, which lead to the development of defects which then evolve over time to form further coherent structures, such as solitary pulses or nonlinear periodic forms. We present here one way in which the evolution of these defects can be modelled, by using the method of modulation to derive nonlinear partial differential equations which govern their evolution. In particular, we extend previous studies in this context to show that one may obtain a modified Korteweg–de Vries (mKdV) equation, whose coefficients come from derivatives of the conservation of wave action associated with the original wavetrain. To help illustrate how this approach can be applied in practice, we study two physically relevant systems, a stratified shallow water system and a coupled Nonlinear Schrödinger model, in order to show how the conditions for the mKdV equation to emerge can be found and the relevant coefficients calculated

Flux singularities in multiphase wavetrains and the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with applications to stratified hydrodynamics

This paper illustrates how the singularity of the wave action flux causes the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) equation to arise naturally from the modulation of a two-phased wavetrain, causing the dispersion to emerge from the classical Whitham modulation theory. Interestingly, the coefficients of the resulting KP are shown to be related to the associated conservation of wave action for the original wavetrain, and so may be obtained prior to the modulation. This provides a universal form for the KP as a dispersive reduction from any Lagrangian with the appropriate wave action flux singularity. The theory is applied to the full water wave problem with two layers of stratification, illustrating how the KP equation arises from the modulation of a uniform flow state and how its coefficients may be extracted from the system

Phase dynamics of the dysthe equation and the bifurcation of plane waves

The bifurcation of plane waves to localised structures is investigated in the Dysthe equation, which incorporates the effects of mean flow and wave steepening. Through the use of phase modulation techniques, it is demonstrated that such occurrences may be described using a Korteweg–de Vries equation. The solitary wave solutions of this system form a qualitative prototype for the bifurcating dynamics, and the role of mean flow and steepening is then made clear through how they enter the amplitude and width of these solitary waves. In addition, higher order phase dynamics are investigated, leading to increased nonlinear regimes which in turn have a more profound impact on how the plane waves transform under defects in the phase

Vanishing characteristic speeds and critical dispersive points in nonlinear interfacial wave problems

Criticality plays a central role in the study of reductions and stability of hydrodynamical systems. At critical points, it is often the case that nonlinear reductions with dispersion arise to govern solution behavior. By considering when such models become bidirectional and lose their initial dispersive properties, it will be shown that higher order dispersive models may be supported in hydrodynamical systems. Precisely, this equation is a two-way Boussinesq equation with sixth order dispersion. The case of two layered shallow water is considered to illustrate this, and it is reasoned why such an environment is natural for such a system to emerge. Further, it is demonstrated that the regions in the parameter space for nontrivial flow, which admit this reduction, are vast and in fact form a continuum. The reduced model is then numerically simulated to illustrate how the two-way and higher dispersive properties suggest more exotic families of solitary wave solutions can emerge in stratified flows