arXiv subjects

Giovanni Dematteis

Publications and source records attributed to Giovanni Dematteis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Resonant interactions in the $\alpha$-FPUT lattice with site-dependent coefficients

The wave turbulence framework has proven to be an effective tool for analyzing certain features of nonlinear energy transfer in one-dimensional nonlinear chains. In this work, we extend this approach to the $\alpha$-FPUT problem when the spring stiffness $\chi$ and the nonlinear coefficient $\alpha$ are site-dependent. Although three-wave interactions are non-resonant for constant coefficients, their spatial modulation gives rise to a non-trivial resonant manifold. In this framework, we derive a new kinetic equation that suggests the possibility of substantially faster thermalization with respect to the constant coefficient case. The new kinetic equation includes also an extra term that can be associated to the Bragg-scattering mechanism, which promotes the isotropization of the wave-action spectral density function.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Revealing wave-wave resonant interactions in ocean wind waves

Ocean wind waves are a fundamental manifestation of complex dynamics in geophysical fluid systems, characterized by a rich interplay between dispersion and nonlinearity. While linear wave theory provides a first-order description of wave motion, real-world oceanic environments are governed by nonlinear interactions that are responsible for a transfer of energy between waves of different lengths. Established theoretical concepts predict that four-wave resonant interactions serve as the primary mechanism for energy transfers among wave components in oceanic surface wave fields. Although the presence and efficiency of these resonant interactions have been demonstrated in controlled wave tank experiments, their direct identification in the real ocean, where a large number of random waves interact, has remained elusive. Here, using a stereoscopic system that enables the measurement of surface elevation in both space and time, we provide experimental evidence of resonant interactions in ocean wind waves. Our data not only reproduce the well-known figure-eight pattern predicted by Phillips, but also reveal a continuum of different resonant configurations that closely match the theoretical predictions. These findings support the validity of third-generation ocean wave models, strengthening their ability to accurately capture wave dynamics in the ocean.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2025

Mesoscale Eddy -- Internal Wave Coupling. III. The End of the Enstrophy Cascade and Maintenance of Gyre Scale Potential Vorticity Gradients

We assess a prognostic formulation of triple coherence relating to energy exchange between mesoscale eddies and the internal wavefield and compare with observations from the Sargasso Sea. This effort involves updates to a theory articulated in M\"uller (1976) that balances eddy induced wavefield perturbations with nonlinearity using a relaxation time scale approximation. Agreement of the prognostic formulation with data is remarkable and is consistent with eddy-wave coupling dominating the regional internal wave energy budget. The goodness of this effort reinforces a prior hypothesis that the character of the internal wavefield in the Sargasso Sea is set by this interaction, which, in turn, serves as an amplifier of tertiary energy inputs from larger vertical scales that characterize internal swell. Extraction of eddy energy happens at the horizontal and vertical scales that characterize baroclinic instability and potential vorticity fluxes. With this knowledge and confidence, we then speculate on the role that this coupling plays with regards to mesoscale eddy dynamics in the Southern Recirculation Gyre of the Gulf Stream. We argue that this nonlinear relaxation effectively provides a local eddy enstrophy damping consistent with potential vorticity flux observations from the Local Dynamics Experiment. This happens at spatial scales somewhat smaller than the energy extraction scale and locates the end of the potential enstrophy cascade in the spectral domain as the energy containing scale of the internal wavefield. The dynamical consequence is that mesoscale eddy - internal wave coupling is responsible for the maintenance of gyre scale potential vorticity gradients.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2025

On the Wave Kinetic Equation in the presence of forcing and dissipation

The wave kinetic equation has become an important tool in different fields of physics. In particular, for surface gravity waves, it is the backbone of wave forecasting models. Its derivation is based on the Hamiltonian dynamics of surface gravity waves. Only at the end of the derivation are the non-conservative effects, such as forcing and dissipation, included as additional terms to the collision integral. In this paper, we present a first attempt to derive the wave kinetic equation when the dissipation/forcing is included in the deterministic dynamics. If, in the dynamical equations, the dissipation/forcing is one order of magnitude smaller than the nonlinear effect, then the classical wave action balance equation is obtained and the kinetic time scale corresponds to the dissipation/forcing time scale. However, if we assume that the nonlinearity and the dissipation/forcing act on the same dynamical time scale, we find that the dissipation/forcing dominates the dynamics and the resulting collision integral appears in a modified form, at a higher order.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2025

Spectral Transfers of Sign-Definite Invariants in Wave Turbulence

We consider the spectral transfers of sign-definite invariants in general wave turbulence systems equipped with a wave kinetic equation. We develop a formalism to investigate and to characterize these transfers, based on the ability to track the exchanges within individual interactions by the detailed-conservation properties of the resonant interactions. We consider the three-wave, four-wave, five-wave and six-wave kinetic equations, introducing measures of locality of general wave turbulence system and of median step size in wave-wave scattering. We then use the proposed method to study the Majda-McLaughlin-Tabak one-dimensional model and examine the characteristics of energy and action transport. We show that energy in the direct energy cascade is dominated by local interactions, but shows a nonlocal inverse "return flow" that counters the direction of the cascade. The inverse action cascade is instead ruled by more nonlocal interactions, but shows a highly local direct "return flow". We also show that for both cascades a scale separation of over an order of magnitude is necessary to ensure a negligible interaction rate with forcing or dissipation regions, hinting at why in numerical simulations of the model an extremely large box size is necessary in order to realize the theoretical Kolmogorov-Zakharov spectra.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2025

Anomalous correlators, negative frequencies and non-phase-invariant Hamiltonians in random waves

We investigate a generic non-phase invariant Hamiltonian model that governs the dynamics of nonlinear dispersive waves. We give evidence that initial data characterized by random phases naturally evolve into phase correlations between positive and negative wavenumbers, leading to the emergence of non-zero anomalous correlators and negative frequencies. Using analytical techniques, we show that anomalous correlators develop on a timescale of $O(1/ε)$, earlier than the kinetic timescale. Our theoretical predictions are validated through direct numerical simulations of the deterministic system.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2024

Interacting internal waves explain global patterns of interior ocean mixing

Across the stable density stratification of the abyssal ocean, deep dense water is slowly propelled upward by sustained, though irregular, turbulent mixing. The resulting mean upwelling determines large-scale oceanic circulation properties like heat and carbon transport. In the ocean interior, this turbulent mixing is caused mainly by breaking internal waves: generated predominantly by winds and tides, these waves interact nonlinearly, transferring energy downscale, and finally become unstable, break and mix the water column. This paradigm, long parameterized heuristically, still lacks full theoretical explanation. Here, we close this gap using wave-wave interaction theory with input from both localized and global observations. We find near-ubiquitous agreement between first-principle predictions and observed mixing patterns in the global ocean interior. Our findings lay the foundations for a wave-driven mixing parameterization for ocean general circulation models that is entirely physics-based, which is key to reliably represent future climate states that could differ substantially from today's.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2024

Wave Turbulence and thermalization in one-dimensional chains

One-dimensional chains are used as a fundamental model of condensed matter, and have constituted the starting point for key developments in nonlinear physics and complex systems. The pioneering work in this field was proposed by Fermi, Pasta, Ulam and Tsingou in the 50s in Los Alamos. An intense and fruitful mathematical and physical research followed during these last 70 years. Recently, a fresh look at the mechanisms of thermalization in such systems has been provided through the lens of the Wave Turbulence approach. In this review, we give a critical summary of the results obtained in this framework. We also present a series of open problems and challenges that future work needs to address.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2022

The Structure of Energy Fluxes in Wave Turbulence

We calculate the net energy per unit time exchanged between two sets of modes in a generic system governed by a three-wave kinetic equation. Our calculation is based on the property of detailed energy conservation of the triadic resonant interactions. In a first application to isotropic systems, we rederive the standard formula for the energy flux as a particular case for adjacent sets. We then exploit the new formalism to quantify the level of locality of the energy transfers in the example of surface capillary waves. A second application to anisotropic wave systems expands the currently available set of tools to investigate magnitude and direction of the energy fluxes in these systems. We illustrate the use of the formalism by characterizing the energy pathways in the oceanic internal wavefield. Our proposed approach, unlike traditional approaches, is not limited to stationarity, scale-invariance and strict locality. In addition, we define a number $w$ that quantifies the scale separation necessary for two sets of modes to be energetically disconnected, with potential consequences in the interpretation of wave-turbulence experiments. The methodology presented here provides a general, simple and systematic approach to energy fluxes in wave turbulence.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Anomalous conduction and second sound in the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou chain: wave-turbulence approach

One-dimensional particle chains are fundamental models to explain anomalous thermal conduction in low-dimensional solids like nanotubes and nanowires. In these systems the thermal energy is carried by phonons, i.e. propagating lattice oscillations that interact via nonlinear resonance. The average energy transfer between the phonons is described by the wave kinetic equation (WKE), derived directly from the microscopic dynamics. Here, we use the spatially nonhomogeneous WKE of the prototypical $β-$ Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou (FPUT) model, equipped with thermostats able to set different temperatures at the two ends. Our main findings are as follows: (i) The anomalous scaling of the conductivity with the system size, in close agreement with the known results from the microscopic dynamics, is due to a nontrivial interplay between high and low wavenumbers. (ii) The high-wavenumber phonons relax to local thermodynamic equilibrium transporting energy diffusively, {\it à la Fourier}. (iii) The low-wavenumber phonons are nearly noninteracting and transfer energy ballistically; this latter phenomenon is the analogous of the second sound emission, observed for example in superfluids.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

On the Origins of the Oceanic Ultraviolet Catastrophe

We provide a first-principles analysis of the energy fluxes in the oceanic internal wavefield. The resulting formula is remarkably similar to the renowned phenomenological formula for the turbulent dissipation rate in the ocean which is known as the Finescale Parameterization. The prediction is based on the wave turbulence theory of internal gravity waves and on a new methodology devised for the computation of the associated energy fluxes. In the standard spectral representation of the wave energy density, in the two-dimensional vertical wavenumber - frequency domain, the energy fluxes associated with the steady state are found to be directed downscale in both coordinates, closely matching the Finescale-Parameterization formula in functional form and in magnitude. These energy transfers are composed of a `local' and a `scale-separated' contributions; while the former is quantified numerically, the latter is dominated by the Induced Diffusion process and is amenable to analytical treatment. Contrary to previous results indicating an inverse energy cascade from high frequency to low, at odds with observations, our analysis of all non-zero coefficients of the diffusion tensor predicts a direct energy cascade. Moreover, by the same analysis fundamental spectra that had been deemed `no-flux' solutions are reinstated to the status of `constant-downscale-flux' solutions. This is consequential for an understanding of energy fluxes, sources and sinks that fits in the observational paradigm of the Finescale Parameterization, solving at once two long-standing paradoxes that had earned the name of `Oceanic Ultraviolet Catastrophe'.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Downscale energy fluxes in scale invariant oceanic internal wave turbulence

We analyze analytically and numerically the scale invariant stationary solution to the internal wave kinetic equation. Our analysis of the resonant energy transfers shows that the leading order contributions are given (i) by triads with extreme scale separation and (ii) by triads of waves that are quasi-colinear in the horizontal plane. The contributions from other types of triads is found to be subleading. We use the modified scale invariant limit of the Garrett and Munk spectrum of internal waves to calculate the magnitude of the energy flux towards high wave numbers in both the vertical and the horizontal directions. Our results compare favorably with the finescale parametrization of ocean mixing that was proposed in [Polzin et al. (1995)].

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Coexistence of ballistic and Fourier regimes in the $β$-FPUT lattice

Commonly, thermal transport properties of one-dimensional systems are found to be anomalous. Here, we perform a numerical and theoretical study of the $β$-FPUT chain, considered a prototypical model for one-dimensional anharmonic crystals, in contact with thermostats at different temperatures. We give evidence that, in steady state conditions, the {\it local} wave energy spectrum can be naturally split into modes that are essentially ballistic (non-interacting or scarcely interacting) and kinetic modes (interacting enough to relax to local thermodynamic equilibrium). We show numerically that the well-known divergence of the energy conductivity is related to how the transition region between these two sets of modes shifts in $k$-space with the system size $L$, due to properties of the collision integral of the system. Moreover, we show that the kinetic modes are responsible for a macroscopic behavior compatible with Fourier's law. Our work sheds light on the long-standing problem of the applicability of standard thermodynamics in one-dimensional nonlinear chains, testbed for understanding the thermal properties of nanotubes and nanowires.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Derivation of the Four-Wave Kinetic Equation in Action-Angle Variables

Starting from the action-angle variables and using a standard asymptotic expansion, here we present a new derivation of the Wave Kinetic Equation for resonant process of the type $2\leftrightarrow 2$. Despite not offering new physical results and despite not being more rigorous than others, our procedure has the merit of being straightforward; it allows for a direct control of the random phase and random amplitude hypothesis of the initial wave field. We show that the Wave Kinetic Equation can be derived assuming only initial random phases. The random amplitude approximation has to be taken only at the end, after taking the weak nonlinearity and large box limits. This is because the $δ$-function over frequencies contains the amplitude-dependent nonlinear correction which should be dropped before the random amplitude approximation applies. If $ε$ is the small parameter in front of the anharmonic part of the Hamiltonian, the time scale associated with the Wave Kinetic equation is shown to be $1/ε^2$. We give evidence that random phase and amplitude hypotheses persist up to a time of the order $1/ε$.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2019

Experimental Evidence of Hydrodynamic Instantons: The Universal Route to Rogue Waves

A statistical theory of rogue waves is proposed and tested against experimental data collected in a long water tank where random waves with different degrees of nonlinearity are mechanically generated and free to propagate along the flume. Strong evidence is given that the rogue waves observed in the tank are hydrodynamic instantons, that is, saddle point configurations of the action associated with the stochastic model of the wave system. As shown here, these hydrodynamic instantons are complex spatio-temporal wave field configurations, which can be defined using the mathematical framework of Large Deviation Theory and calculated via tailored numerical methods. These results indicate that the instantons describe equally well rogue waves that originate from a simple linear superposition mechanism (in weakly nonlinear conditions) or from a nonlinear focusing one (in strongly nonlinear conditions), paving the way for the development of a unified explanation to rogue wave formation.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2018

Extreme event quantification in dynamical systems with random components

A central problem in uncertainty quantification is how to characterize the impact that our incomplete knowledge about models has on the predictions we make from them. This question naturally lends itself to a probabilistic formulation, by making the unknown model parameters random with given statistics. Here this approach is used in concert with tools from large deviation theory (LDT) and optimal control to estimate the probability that some observables in a dynamical system go above a large threshold after some time, given the prior statistical information about the system's parameters and/or its initial conditions. Specifically, it is established under which conditions such extreme events occur in a predictable way, as the minimizer of the LDT action functional. It is also shown how this minimization can be numerically performed in an efficient way using tools from optimal control. These findings are illustrated on the examples of a rod with random elasticity pulled by a time-dependent force, and the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation (NLSE) with random initial conditions.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2018

Rogue Waves and Large Deviations in Deep Sea

The appearance of rogue waves in deep sea is investigated using the modified nonlinear Schrödinger (MNLS) equation in one spatial-dimension with random initial conditions that are assumed to be normally distributed, with a spectrum approximating realistic conditions of a uni-directional sea state. It is shown that one can use the incomplete information contained in this spectrum as prior and supplement this information with the MNLS dynamics to reliably estimate the probability distribution of the sea surface elevation far in the tail at later times. Our results indicate that rogue waves occur when the system hits unlikely pockets of wave configurations that trigger large disturbances of the surface height. The rogue wave precursors in these pockets are wave patterns of regular height but with a very specific shape that is identified explicitly, thereby allowing for early detection. The method proposed here combines Monte Carlo sampling with tools from large deviations theory that reduce the calculation of the most likely rogue wave precursors to an optimization problem that can be solved efficiently. This approach is transferable to other problems in which the system's governing equations contain random initial conditions and/or parameters.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

4-wave dynamics in kinetic wave turbulence

A general Hamiltonian wave system with quartic resonances is considered, in the standard kinetic limit of a continuum of weakly interacting dispersive waves with random phases. The evolution equation for the multimode characteristic function $Z$ is obtained within an "interaction representation" and a perturbation expansion in the small nonlinearity parameter. A frequency renormalization is performed to remove linear terms that do not appear in the 3-wave case. Feynman-Wyld diagrams are used to average over phases, leading to a first order differential evolution equation for $Z$. A hierarchy of equations, analogous to the Boltzmann hierarchy for low density gases is derived, which preserves in time the property of random phases and amplitudes. This amounts to a general formalism for both the $N$-mode and the 1-mode PDF equations for 4-wave turbulent systems, suitable for numerical simulations and for investigating intermittency.

physics.flu-dyn↗