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Jalal Shatah

Publications and source records attributed to Jalal Shatah.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Dissipation-driven champion solitons in one-dimensional shallow-water waves

In this paper, we identify a new mechanism for rogue wave formation in a shallow-water setting. We study a bidirectional shallow-water wave field in the context of the Kaup-Boussinesq equation, and introduce a weak high-wavenumber dissipative perturbation that breaks the underlying integrability of the system. In this setting, dominant solitons grow through successive interactions with weaker, co-propagating solitons, leading to the formation of a "champion soliton" in each direction of propagation. This behaviour is in contrast to the general intuition that dissipation damps coherent structures, and instead shows that weak dissipation can induce their intensification. Moreover, we find that weak dissipation alone is not sufficient for champion soliton formation; the presence of random waves plays a crucial role in the intensification process, catalysing the transfer of energy into dominant coherent structures. While champion solitons have previously been studied in non-integrable systems, these works primarily consider perturbations introduced through modifications of the nonlinear terms (e.g., higher-order Korteweg-de Vries and Schrödinger-type models). In the present work, high-wavenumber dissipation provides a more physically natural perturbation, since such small-scale damping is a common feature in many systems.

nlin.PS↗
arXiv2026

Bidirectional shallow-water wave turbulence

We study bidirectional one-dimensional (1-D) shallow-water waves within a class of Boussinesq equations, including the integrable Kaup-Boussinesq (KB) equation and a truncated-dispersion variant, which serves as a representative non-integrable model. For these two systems, the normal-form transformation yields an interaction coefficient of the same general structure, differing only through the dispersion relation. We derive this coefficient and numerically confirm that it vanishes on the resonant manifold for the KB equation, as expected in the literature. In contrast, the non-integrable model admits a non-vanishing interaction coefficient, producing a non-trivial wave kinetic equation (WKE), which is the first known in a 1-D shallow-water setting. The resulting WKE is non-homogeneous in nature due to the non-homogeneity of the corresponding dispersion relation; however, approximate Kolomogrov-Zakharov (KZ) solutions can be derived in a novel way under certain approximations. Numerical experiments in two settings validate the kinetic predictions and elucidate the underlying dynamics: (i) in free-evolution cases of the KB equation, despite complete integrability and the invariance of the discrete nonlinear spectrum guaranteed by isospectrality, an initial arbitrary wavenumber spectrum undergoes substantial evolution driven by quasi-resonant triad interactions; (ii) in forced-dissipated cases of the non-integrable equation, we find stationary power-law spectra that agree with the theoretical predictions.

nlin.CD↗
arXiv2026

Invariant Manifolds for Capillary Waves and a Class of Quasilinear PDEs

This paper studies the local stable and unstable manifolds of equilibria for quasilinear and fully nonlinear PDEs. These manifolds are fundamental objects in the analysis of local dynamics. While their existence is well understood for ODEs, semilinear PDEs, and certain parabolic-type quasilinear PDEs, invariant manifold theorems are often unavailable for quasilinear PDEs whose nonlinearities involve a loss of regularity and whose linear parts do not provide sufficient smoothing. Our main results establish the existence, uniqueness, and smoothness of local stable and unstable manifolds for nonlinear PDEs that satisfy suitable energy estimates. With the main focus on irrotational water waves with surface tension, this framework applies to a broad class of PDEs, including nonlinear Schrödinger equations, nonlinear wave equations, and the MMT model, as well as to certain gradient-type PDEs.

math.AP↗
arXiv2026

Wave turbulence of inertia--gravity waves: a theory for the oceanic spectrum

We present a derivation using kinetic wave theory of the two-dimensional empirical Garrett--Munk spectrum for ocean internal waves, valid at all frequencies including near-inertial frequencies. This is based directly on the governing equations for a two-dimensional Boussinesq system with constant stratification and rotation. Our results improve on previous work by side-stepping the use of canonical variables, by taking full account of the Coriolis parameter in a non-hydrostatic dispersion relation, by filtering the balanced flow component from the dynamics, by using the conservation laws for energy and two components of pseudomomentum to bring the collision integral into a very simple form, by giving precise convergence conditions for the collision integral, and by finding the unique scale-invariant turbulent wave spectrum that corresponds to turbulent fluxes from small to large wavenumbers. The last step was achieved in the limit of small but nonzero Coriolis parameter. Key results are that any nonzero Coriolis parameter regularizes the singular nature of the non-rotating problem and that the homogeneity properties of the dispersion relation and of the interaction coefficients alone already imply that the spectrum is separable in vertical wavenumber and frequency. Within the restrictions of two-dimensional dynamics, this provides a theoretical framework for internal-wave turbulence consistent with oceanic observations.

physics.flu-dyn↗
arXiv2025

Space-time resonances in the spatiotemporal spectrum of nonlinear dispersive waves

In weakly nonlinear dispersive wave systems, long-time dynamics are typically governed by time resonances, where wave phases evolve coherently due to exact frequency matching. Recent advances in spatio-temporal spectrum measurements, however, reveal prominent features that go beyond the predictions of time resonance theory. In this work, we develop a theoretical framework to interpret these signatures by identifying and characterizing an alternative mechanism: space resonances. These arise when wave packets share the same group velocity and remain co-located, leading to long-lived interactions. We further show that gauge-breaking terms in the Hamiltonian give rise to space resonances supported on negative frequencies. By combining sea-surface elevation data, numerical simulations, and analytical theory, we derive the leading-order spatio-temporal spectrum for weakly interacting water waves, providing a unified explanation for its observed features.

nlin.PS↗
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

Turbulent spectrum of 2D internal gravity waves

We find the turbulent energy spectrum of weakly interacting 2D internal gravity waves using the full, non-hydrostatic dispersion relation. This spectrum is an exact solution of a regularized kinetic equation, from which the zero-frequency shear modes have been excised by a careful limiting process. This is a new method in wave kinetic theory. The turbulent spectrum agrees with the 2D oceanic Garrett--Munk spectrum for frequencies large compared to the Coriolis frequency and vertical scales small compared to the depth of the ocean. We show that this turbulent spectrum is the unique power law solution to the steady kinetic equation with a non-zero radial flux. Our solution provides an interesting insight into a turbulent energy cascade in an anisotropic system -- like isotropic turbulence it is self-similar in scale, but its angular part is peaked along the curve of vanishing frequency and is self-similar in frequency.

physics.flu-dyn↗
arXiv2024

Inhomogeneous turbulence for the Wick nonlinear Schrödinger equation

We introduce a simplified model for wave turbulence theory -- the Wick NLS, of which the main feature is the absence of all self-interactions in the correlation expansions of its solutions. For this model, we derive several wave kinetic equations that govern the effective statistical behavior of its solutions in various regimes. In the homogeneous setting, where the initial correlation is translation invariant, we obtain a wave kinetic equation similar to the one predicted by the formal theory. In the inhomogeneous setting, we obtain a wave kinetic equation that describes the statistical behavior of the wavepackets of the solutions, accounting for both the transport of wavepackets and collisions among them. Another wave kinetic equation, which seems new in the literature, also appears in a certain scaling regime of this setting and provides a more refined collision picture.

math.AP↗
arXiv2023

The role of sign indefinite invariants in shaping turbulent cascades

We highlight a non-canonical yet natural choice of variables for an efficient derivation of a kinetic equation for the energy density in non-isotropic systems, including internal gravity waves on a vertical plane, inertial and Rossby waves. The existence of a second quadratic invariant simplifies the kinetic equation and leads to extra conservation laws for resonant interactions. We analytically determine the scaling of the radial turbulent energy spectrum. Our findings suggest the existence of an inverse energy cascade of internal gravity waves, from small to large scales, in practically relevant scenarios.

physics.flu-dyn↗
arXiv2023

Kinetic equation for weak interaction of directional internal waves

Starting from the two-dimensional Boussinesq equation without rotation, we derive a kinetic equation for weak interaction of internal waves using non-canonical variables. We follow a formalism introduced by P. Ripa in the 80's. The advantage of this formalism is that it describes the system in terms of the natural linear eigenfunctions of eastward and westward propagating internal waves. Using properties of orthogonality of the eigenfunctions with respect to a (pseudo) metric set by the energy we can write non perturbative theory for the interaction of waves given in terms of the expansion amplitudes. The evolution is controlled by a system of equations, with quadratic nonlinearity, which is an exact representation of the original model equations. The dynamics is constrained by the conservation of energy and pseudo-momentum, which can be written simply as a linear combination of the squared absolute value of the amplitudes. The possibility of a generalization of the Fjortoft's argument to internal gravity waves and observation of a non trivial double cascade of energy and pseudo-momentum is discussed.

physics.flu-dyn↗
arXiv2016

Effective dynamics of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation on large domains

We consider the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation posed on the box $[0,L]^d$ with periodic boundary conditions. The aim is to describe the long-time dynamics by deriving effective equations for it when $L$ is large and the characteristic size $ε$ of the data is small. Such questions arise naturally when studying dispersive equations that are posed on large domains (like water waves in the ocean), and also in theory of statistical physics of dispersive waves, that goes by the name of "wave turbulence". Our main result is deriving a new equation, the continuous resonant (CR) equation, that describes the effective dynamics for large $L$ and small $ε$ over very large time-scales. Such time-scales are well beyond the (a) nonlinear time-scale of the equation, and (b) the Euclidean time-scale at which the effective dynamics are given by (NLS) on $\mathbb R^d$. The proof relies heavily on tools from analytic number theory, such as a relatively modern version of the Hardy-Littlewood circle method, which are modified and extended to be applicable in a PDE setting.

math.AP↗
arXiv2015

On the wind generation of water waves

In this work, we consider the mathematical theory of wind generated water waves. This entails determining the stability properties of the family of laminar flow solutions to the two-phase interface Euler equation. We present a rigorous derivation of the linearized evolution equations about an arbitrary steady solution, and, using this, we give a complete proof of the instability criterion of Miles. Our analysis is valid even in the presence of surface tension and a vortex sheet (discontinuity in the tangential velocity across the air--sea interface). We are thus able to give a unified equation connecting the Kelvin--Helmholtz and quasi-laminar models of wave generation.

math.AP↗
arXiv2013

Scattering for the Zakharov system in 3 dimensions

We prove global existence and scattering for small localized solutions of the Cauchy problem for the Zakharov system in 3 space dimensions. The wave component is shown to decay pointwise at the optimal rate of t^{-1}, whereas the Schrödinger component decays almost at a rate of t^{-7/6}.

math.AP↗
arXiv2012

Steady water waves in the presence of wind

In this paper we develop an existence theory for small amplitude, steady, two-dimensional water waves in the presence of wind in the air above. The presence of the wind is modeled by a Kelvin--Helmholtz type discontinuity across the air--water interface, and a corresponding jump in the circulation of the fluids there. We consider both fluids to be inviscid, with the water region being irrotational and of finite depth. The air region is considered with constant vorticity in the case of infinite depth and with a general vorticity profile in the case of a finite, lidded atmosphere.

math.AP↗
arXiv2012

Traveling water waves with compactly supported vorticity

In this paper, we prove the existence of two-dimensional, traveling, capillary-gravity, water waves with compactly supported vorticity. Specifically, we consider the cases where the vorticity is a $δ$-function (a point vortex), or has small compact support (a vortex patch). Using a global bifurcation theoretic argument, we construct a continuum of finite-amplitude, finite-vorticity solutions for the periodic point vortex problem. For the non-periodic case, with either a vortex point or patch, we prove the existence of a continuum of small-amplitude, small-vorticity solutions.

math.AP↗
arXiv2012

Global existence for capillary water waves

Consider the capillary water waves equations, set in the whole space with infinite depth, and consider small data (i.e. sufficiently close to zero velocity, and constant height of the water). We prove global existence and scattering. The proof combines in a novel way the energy method with a cascade of energy estimates, the space-time resonance method and commuting vector fields.

math.AP↗