Breather Turbulence: Exact Spectral and Stochastic Solutions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation
I address the problem of breather turbulence in ocean waves from the point of view of the exact spectral solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation using two tools of mathematical physics: (1) the inverse scattering transform (IST) for periodic/quasiperiodic boundary conditions (...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Fluids |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/4/2/72 |
| _version_ | 1828338606034386944 |
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| author | Alfred R. Osborne |
| author_facet | Alfred R. Osborne |
| author_sort | Alfred R. Osborne |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | I address the problem of breather turbulence in ocean waves from the point of view of the exact spectral solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation using two tools of mathematical physics: (1) the inverse scattering transform (IST) for periodic/quasiperiodic boundary conditions (also referred to as finite gap theory (FGT) in the Russian literature) and (2) quasiperiodic Fourier series, both of which enhance the physical and mathematical understanding of complicated nonlinear phenomena in water waves. The basic approach I refer to is nonlinear Fourier analysis (NLFA). The formulation describes wave motion with spectral components consisting of sine waves, Stokes waves and breather packets that nonlinearly interact pair-wise with one another. This contrasts to the simpler picture of standard Fourier analysis in which one linearly superposes sine waves. Breather trains are coherent wave packets that “breath„ up and down during their lifetime “cycle„ as they propagate, a phenomenon related to Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) recurrence. The central wave of a breather, when the packet is at its maximum height of the FPU cycle, is often treated as a kind of rogue wave. Breather turbulence occurs when the number of breathers in a measured time series is large, typically several hundred per hour. Because of the prevalence of rogue waves in breather turbulence, I call this exceptional type of sea state a breather sea or rogue sea. Here I provide theoretical tools for a physical and dynamical understanding of the recent results of Osborne et al. (Ocean Dynamics, 2019, 69, pp. 187–219) in which dense breather turbulence was found in experimental surface wave data in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Quasiperiodic Fourier series are important in the study of ocean waves because they provide a simpler theoretical interpretation and faster numerical implementation of the NLFA, with respect to the IST, particularly with regard to determination of the breather spectrum and their associated phases that are here treated in the so-called nonlinear random phase approximation. The actual material developed here focuses on results necessary for the analysis and interpretation of shipboard/offshore platform radar scans and for airborne lidar and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:31:04Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-5521 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:31:04Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fluids |
| spelling | doaj.art-f645458225fc470ab0aad62bd86edad02022-12-22T02:26:56ZengMDPI AGFluids2311-55212019-04-01427210.3390/fluids4020072fluids4020072Breather Turbulence: Exact Spectral and Stochastic Solutions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger EquationAlfred R. Osborne0Nonlinear Waves Research Corporation, Alexandria, VA 22314, USAI address the problem of breather turbulence in ocean waves from the point of view of the exact spectral solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation using two tools of mathematical physics: (1) the inverse scattering transform (IST) for periodic/quasiperiodic boundary conditions (also referred to as finite gap theory (FGT) in the Russian literature) and (2) quasiperiodic Fourier series, both of which enhance the physical and mathematical understanding of complicated nonlinear phenomena in water waves. The basic approach I refer to is nonlinear Fourier analysis (NLFA). The formulation describes wave motion with spectral components consisting of sine waves, Stokes waves and breather packets that nonlinearly interact pair-wise with one another. This contrasts to the simpler picture of standard Fourier analysis in which one linearly superposes sine waves. Breather trains are coherent wave packets that “breath„ up and down during their lifetime “cycle„ as they propagate, a phenomenon related to Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) recurrence. The central wave of a breather, when the packet is at its maximum height of the FPU cycle, is often treated as a kind of rogue wave. Breather turbulence occurs when the number of breathers in a measured time series is large, typically several hundred per hour. Because of the prevalence of rogue waves in breather turbulence, I call this exceptional type of sea state a breather sea or rogue sea. Here I provide theoretical tools for a physical and dynamical understanding of the recent results of Osborne et al. (Ocean Dynamics, 2019, 69, pp. 187–219) in which dense breather turbulence was found in experimental surface wave data in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Quasiperiodic Fourier series are important in the study of ocean waves because they provide a simpler theoretical interpretation and faster numerical implementation of the NLFA, with respect to the IST, particularly with regard to determination of the breather spectrum and their associated phases that are here treated in the so-called nonlinear random phase approximation. The actual material developed here focuses on results necessary for the analysis and interpretation of shipboard/offshore platform radar scans and for airborne lidar and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/4/2/72stokes wavesbreather packetsrogue wavesnonlinear time series analysisnonlinear ocean wavesnonlinear laboratory wavesnonlinear random phase approximation |
| spellingShingle | Alfred R. Osborne Breather Turbulence: Exact Spectral and Stochastic Solutions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation Fluids stokes waves breather packets rogue waves nonlinear time series analysis nonlinear ocean waves nonlinear laboratory waves nonlinear random phase approximation |
| title | Breather Turbulence: Exact Spectral and Stochastic Solutions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation |
| title_full | Breather Turbulence: Exact Spectral and Stochastic Solutions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation |
| title_fullStr | Breather Turbulence: Exact Spectral and Stochastic Solutions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Breather Turbulence: Exact Spectral and Stochastic Solutions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation |
| title_short | Breather Turbulence: Exact Spectral and Stochastic Solutions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation |
| title_sort | breather turbulence exact spectral and stochastic solutions of the nonlinear schrodinger equation |
| topic | stokes waves breather packets rogue waves nonlinear time series analysis nonlinear ocean waves nonlinear laboratory waves nonlinear random phase approximation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/4/2/72 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alfredrosborne breatherturbulenceexactspectralandstochasticsolutionsofthenonlinearschrodingerequation |