Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Erik Wahlén

Publications and source records attributed to Erik Wahlén.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2019

On Whitham's conjecture of a highest cusped wave for a nonlocal dispersive equation

We consider the Whitham equation $u_t + 2u u_x+Lu_x = 0$, where L is the nonlocal Fourier multiplier operator given by the symbol $m(ξ) = \sqrt{\tanh ξ/ξ}$. G. B. Whitham conjectured that for this equation there would be a highest, cusped, travelling-wave solution. We find this wave as a limiting case at the end of the main bifurcation curve of $P$-periodic solutions, and give several qualitative properties of it, including its optimal $C^{1/2}$-regularity. An essential part of the proof consists in an analysis of the integral kernel corresponding to the symbol $m(ξ)$, and a following study of the highest wave. In particular, we show that the integral kernel corresponding to the symbol $m(ξ)$ is completely monotone, and provide an explicit representation formula for it.

math.AP↗
arXiv2018

Steady three-dimensional rotational flows: an approach via two stream functions and Nash-Moser iteration

We consider the stationary flow of an inviscid and incompressible fluid of constant density in the region $D=(0, L)\times \mathbb{R}^2$. We are concerned with flows that are periodic in the second and third variables and that have prescribed flux through each point of the boundary $\partial D$. The Bernoulli equation states that the "Bernoulli function" $H:= \frac 1 2 |v|^2+p$ (where $v$ is the velocity field and $p$ the pressure) is constant along stream lines, that is, each particle is associated with a particular value of $H$. We also prescribe the value of $H$ on $\partial D$. The aim of this work is to develop an existence theory near a given constant solution. It relies on writing the velocity field in the form $v=\nabla f\times \nabla g$ and deriving a degenerate nonlinear elliptic system for $f$ and $g$. This system is solved using the Nash-Moser method, as developed for the problem of isometric embeddings of Riemannian manifolds; see e.g. the book by Q. Han and J.-X. Hong (2006). Since we can allow $H$ to be non-constant on $\partial D$, our theory includes three-dimensional flows with non-vanishing vorticity.

math.AP↗
arXiv2018

Spectral stability of nonlinear gravity waves in the atmosphere

We apply spectral stability theory to investigate nonlinear gravity waves in the atmosphere. These waves are determined by modulation equations that result from Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin theory. First, we establish that plane waves, which represent exact solutions to the inviscid Boussinesq equations, are spectrally stable with respect to their nonlinear modulation equations under the same conditions as what is known as modulational stability from weakly nonlinear theory. In contrast to Boussinesq, the pseudo-incompressible regime does account for the altitudinal varying background density. Second, we show for the first time that upward-traveling wave fronts solving the inviscid modulation equations, that compare to pseudo-incompressible theory, are unconditionally unstable. Both inviscid regimes turn out to be ill-posed as the spectra allow for arbitrarily large instability growth rates. Third, a regularization is found by including dissipative effects. The corresponding traveling wave solutions have localized amplitude and blow up unconditionally by embedded eigenvalue instabilities but the instability growth rate is bounded from above. Additionally, all three types of nonlinear modulation equations are solved numerically to further investigate and illustrate the nature of the analytic stability results.

physics.flu-dyn↗
arXiv2017

A variational reduction and the existence of a fully-localised solitary wave for the three-dimensional water-wave problem with weak surface tension

Fully localised solitary waves are travelling-wave solutions of the three-dimensional gravity-capillary water wave problem which decay to zero in every horizontal spatial direction. Their existence has been predicted on the basis of numerical simulations and model equations (in which context they are usually referred to as `lumps'), and a mathematically rigorous existence theory for strong surface tension (Bond number $β$ greater than $\frac{1}{3}$) has recently been given. In this article we present an existence theory for the physically more realistic case $0<β<\frac{1}{3}$. A classical variational principle for fully localised solitary waves is reduced to a locally equivalent variational principle featuring a perturbation of the functional associated with the Davey-Stewartson equation. A nontrivial critical point of the reduced functional is found by minimising it over its natural constraint set.

math.AP↗
arXiv2017

Variational existence theory for hydroelastic solitary waves

This paper presents an existence theory for solitary waves at the interface between a thin ice sheet (modelled using the Cosserat theory of hyperelastic shells) and an ideal fluid (of finite depth and in irrotational motion) for sufficiently large values of a dimensionless parameter $γ$. We establish the existence of a minimiser of the wave energy ${\mathcal E}$ subject to the constraint ${\mathcal I}=2μ$, where ${\mathcal I}$ is the horizontal impulse and $0< μ\ll 1$, and show that the solitary waves detected by our variational method converge (after an appropriate rescaling) to solutions of he nonlinear Schrödinger equation with cubic focussing nonlinearity as $μ\downarrow 0$.

math.AP↗
arXiv2017

Solitary wave solutions to a class of modified Green-Naghdi systems

We provide the existence and asymptotic description of solitary wave solutions to a class of modified Green-Naghdi systems, modeling the propagation of long surface or internal waves. This class was recently proposed by Duch{ê}ne, Israwi and Talhouk (Stud. Appl. Math.,137 (2016)) in order to improve the frequency dispersion of the original Green-Naghdi system while maintaining the same precision. The solitary waves are constructed from the solutions of a constrained minimization problem. The main difficulties stem from the fact that the functional at stake involves low order non-local operators, intertwining multiplications and convolutions through Fourier multipliers.

math.AP↗
arXiv2016

Transverse instability of periodic and generalized solitary waves for a fifth-order KP model

We consider a fifth-order Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation which arises as a two-dimensional model in the classical water-wave problem. This equation possesses a family of generalized line solitary waves which decay exponentially to periodic waves at infinity. We prove that these solitary waves are transversely spectrally unstable and that this instability is induced by the transverse instability of the periodic tails. We rely upon a detailed spectral analysis of some suitably chosen linear operators.

math.AP↗
arXiv2016

Periodic solitons for the elliptic-elliptic focussing Davey-Stewartson equations

We consider the elliptic-elliptic, focussing Davey-Stewartson equations, which have an explicit bright line soliton solution. The existence of a family of periodic solitons, which have the profile of the line soliton in the longitudinal spatial direction and are periodic in the transverse spatial direction, is established using dynamical systems arguments. We also show that the line soliton is linearly unstable with respect to perturbations in the transverse direction.

math.AP↗
arXiv2016

Trimodal steady water waves

We construct three-dimensional families of small-amplitude gravity-driven rotational steady water waves on finite depth. The solutions contain counter-currents and multiple crests in each minimal period. Each such wave generically is a combination of three different Fourier modes, giving rise to a rich and complex variety of wave patterns. The bifurcation argument is based on a blow-up technique, taking advantage of three parameters associated with the vorticity distribution, the strength of the background stream, and the period of the wave.

math.AP↗
arXiv2016

A dimension-breaking phenomenon for water waves with weak surface tension

It is well known that the water-wave problem with weak surface tension has small-amplitude line solitary-wave solutions which to leading order are described by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The present paper contains an existence theory for three-dimensional periodically modulated solitary-wave solutions which have a solitary-wave profile in the direction of propagation and are periodic in the transverse direction; they emanate from the line solitary waves in a dimension-breaking bifurcation. In addition, it is shown that the line solitary waves are linearly unstable to long-wavelength transverse perturbations. The key to these results is a formulation of the water wave problem as an evolutionary system in which the transverse horizontal variable plays the role of time, a careful study of the purely imaginary spectrum of the operator obtained by linearising the evolutionary system at a line solitary wave, and an application of an infinite-dimensional version of the classical Lyapunov centre theorem.

math.AP↗
arXiv2016

A variational approach to solitary gravity-capillary interfacial waves with infinite depth

We present an existence and stability theory for gravity-capillary solitary waves on the top surface of and interface between two perfect fluids of different densities, the lower one being of infinite depth. Exploiting a classical variational principle, we prove the existence of a minimiser of the wave energy $\mathcal{E}$ subject to the constraint $\mathcal{I}=2μ$, where $\mathcal{I}$ is the wave momentum and $0< μ< μ_0$, where $μ_0$ is chosen small enough for the validity of our calculations. Since $\mathcal{E}$ and $\mathcal{I}$ are both conserved quantities a standard argument asserts the stability of the set $D_μ$ of minimisers: solutions starting near $D_μ$ remain close to $D_μ$ in a suitably defined energy space over their interval of existence. The solitary waves which we construct are of small amplitude and are to leading order described by the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. They exist in a parameter region in which the `slow' branch of the dispersion relation has a strict non-degenerate global minimum and the corresponding nonlinear Schrödinger equation is of focussing type. We show that the waves detected by our variational method converge (after an appropriate rescaling) to solutions of the model equation as $μ\downarrow 0$.

math.AP↗
arXiv2012

On the existence and stability of solitary-wave solutions to a class of evolution equations of Whitham type

We consider a class of pseudodifferential evolution equations of the form $$u_t + (n(u) + Lu)_x = 0,$$ in which $L$ is a linear smoothing operator and $n$ is at least quadratic near the origin; this class includes in particular the Whitham equation. A family of solitary-wave solutions is found using a constrained minimisation principle and concentration-compactness methods for noncoercive functionals. The solitary waves are approximated by (scalings of) the corresponding solutions to partial differential equations arising as weakly nonlinear approximations; in the case of the Whitham equation the approximation is the Korteweg-deVries equation. We also demonstrate that the family of solitary-wave solutions is conditionally energetically stable.

math.AP↗
arXiv2011

Existence and conditional energetic stability of three-dimensional fully localised solitary gravity-capillary water waves

In this paper we show that the hydrodynamic problem for three-dimensional water waves with strong surface-tension effects admits a fully localised solitary wave which decays to the undisturbed state of the water in every horizontal direction. The proof is based upon the classical variational principle that a solitary wave of this type is a critical point of the energy subject to the constraint that the momentum is fixed. We prove the existence of a minimiser of the energy subject to the constraint that the momentum is fixed and small. The existence of a small-amplitude solitary wave is thus assured, and since the energy and momentum are both conserved quantities a standard argument may be used to establish the stability of the set of minimisers as a whole. `Stability' is however understood in a qualified sense due to the lack of a global well-posedness theory for three-dimensional water waves.

math.AP↗
arXiv2011

Steady water waves with multiple critical layers

We construct small-amplitude periodic water waves with multiple critical layers. In addition to waves with arbitrarily many critical layers and a single crest in each period, two-dimensional sets of waves with several crests and troughs in each period are found. The setting is that of steady two-dimensional finite-depth gravity water waves with vorticity.

math.AP↗
arXiv2010

Discrete wave turbulence of rotational capillary water waves

We study the discrete wave turbulent regime of capillary water waves with constant non-zero vorticity. The explicit Hamiltonian formulation and the corresponding coupling coefficient are obtained. We also present the construction and investigation of resonance clustering. Some physical implications of the obtained results are discussed.

math-ph↗