arXiv subjects

P. G. Kevrekidis

Publications and source records attributed to P. G. Kevrekidis.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Damped-Driven Granular Crystals: An Ideal Playground for Dark Breathers and Multibreathers

By applying an out-of-phase actuation at the boundaries of a uniform chain of granular particles, we demonstrate experimentally that time-periodic and spatially localized structures with a nonzero background (so-called dark breathers) emerge for a wide range of parameter values and initial conditions. Importantly, the number of ensuing breathers within the multibreather pattern produced can be "dialed in" by varying the frequency or amplitude of the actuation. The values of the frequency (resp. amplitude) where the transition between different multibreather states occurs are predicted accurately by the proposed theoretical model, which is numerically shown to support exact dark breather solutions. The existence, linear stability, and bifurcation structure of the theoretical dark breathers are also studied in detail. Moreover, the distributed sensing technologies developed herein enable a detailed space-time probing of the system and a systematic favorable comparison between theory, computation and experiments.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Revisiting the PT-symmetric Trimer: Bifurcations, Ghost States and Associated Dynamics

In this paper, we revisit one of the prototypical PT-symmetric oligomers, namely the trimer. We find all the relevant branches of "regular" solutions and analyze the bifurcations and instabilities thereof. Our work generalizes the formulation that was proposed recently in the case of dimers for the so-called "ghost states" of trimers, which we also identify and connect to symmetry-breaking bifurcations from the regular states. We also examine the dynamics of unstable trimers, as well as those of the ghost states in the parametric regime where the latter are found to exist. Finally, we present the current state of the art for optical experiments in PT-symmetric trimers, as well as experimental results in a gain-loss-gain three channel waveguide structure.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Few-Particle Vortex Cluster Equilibria in Bose-Einstein Condensates: Existence and Stability

Motivated by recent experimental and theoretical studies of fewparticle vortex clusters in Bose-Einstein condensates, we consider the ordinary differential equations of motion and systematically examine settings for up to N = 6 vortices. We analyze the existence of corresponding stationary state configurations and also consider their spectral stability properties. We compare our particle model results with the predictions of the full partial differential equation system. Whenever possible, we propose generalizations of these results in the context of clusters of N vortices. Some of these, we can theoretically establish, especially so for the N-vortex polygons, while others we state as conjectures, e.g. for the N-vortex line equilibrium.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Traveling Waves in 2D Hexagonal Granular Crystal Lattices

We describe the dynamic response of a two-dimensional hexagonal packing of uncompressed stainless steel spheres excited by localized impulsive loadings. After the initial impact strikes the system, a characteristic wave structure emerges and continuously decays as it propagates through the lattice. Using an extension of the binary collision approximation (BCA) for one-dimensional chains, we predict its decay rate, which compares well with numerical simulations and experimental data. While the hexagonal lattice does not support constant speed traveling waves, we provide scaling relations that characterize the power law decay of the wave velocity. Lastly, we discuss the effects of weak disorder on the directional amplitude decay rates.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Going beyond the double well: complex mode dynamics of effective coupled oscillators in infinite dimensional systems

In this work we explore how nonlinear modes described by a dispersive wave equation (in our example, the nonlinear Schrodinger equation) and localized in a few wells of a periodic potential can act analogously to a chain of coupled mechanical oscillators. We identify the small-amplitude oscillation modes of these `coupled wave oscillators' and find that they can be extended into the large amplitude regime, where some can `ring' for long times. We also identify prototypical case examples of more complex dynamical behaviour that can arise in such systems beyond the double well paradigm, including the breakdown of Josephson-like oscillations and of internal modes more generally, the transfer of energy out of/destabilization of fundamental oscillation modes and the emergence of chaotic oscillations for large amplitude excitations. We provide details of the phase perturbations required for experimental observations of such dynamics, and show that the oscillator formalism can be extended to predict large amplitude excitations in genuinely two-dimensional configurations.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Eigenstates and instabilities of chains with embedded defects

We consider the eigenvalue problem for one-dimensional linear Schrödinger lattices (tight-binding) with an embedded few-sites linear or nonlinear, Hamiltonian or non-conservative defect (an oligomer). Such a problem arises when considering scattering states in the presence of (generally complex) impurities as well as in the stability analysis of nonlinear waves. We describe a general approach based on a matching of solutions of the linear portions of the lattice at the location of the oligomer defect. As specific examples we discuss both linear and nonlinear, Hamiltonian and $\cP \cT$-symmetric dimers and trimers. In the linear case, this approach provides us a handle for semi-analytically computing the spectrum [this amounts to the solution of a polynomial equation]. In the nonlinear case, it enables the computation of the linearization spectrum around the stationary solutions. The calculations showcase the oscillatory instabilities that strongly nonlinear states typically manifest.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Interactions of solitons with a Gaussian barrier: Splitting and recombination in quasi-1D and 3D

The interaction of matter-wave solitons with a potential barrier is a fundamentally important problem, and the splitting and subsequent recombination of the soliton by the barrier is the essence of soliton matter-wave interferometry. We demonstrate the three-dimensional (3D) character of the interactions in the case relevant to ongoing experiments, where the number of atoms in the soliton is sufficiently large that the soliton is close to collapse. The mean-field description is quite accurate, but the proximity to the collapse threshold makes the use of the 1D Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) irrelevant. We examine the soliton dynamics in the framework of the effectively 1D nonpolynomial Schr{ö}dinger equation (NPSE), which admits the collapse in a modified form, and in parallel we use the full 3D GPE. Both approaches produce results which are very different from those produced in recent work which used the 1D cubic GPE. The features observed in both the NPSE and the 3D GPE include (a) an increase in the first reflection coefficient for increasing barrier height and decreasing atom number; (b) strong modulation in the secondary reflection/recombination probability vs. barrier height; (c) a pronounced asymmetry in the oscillation amplitudes of the transmitted and reflected fragments; (d) an enhancement of the transverse excitations as the number of atoms is increased. We also explore effects produced by variations of the barrier width and outcomes of the secondary collision upon phase imprinting on the fragment in one arm of the interferometer.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Parity-time symmetric optical coupler with birefringent arms

In this work, we propose a PT-symmetric coupler whose arms are birefringent waveguides as a realistic physical model which leads to a so-called quadrimer i.e., a four complex field setting. We seek stationary solutions of the resulting linear and nonlinear model, identifying its linear point of PT symmetry breaking and examining the corresponding nonlinear solutions that persist up to this point, as well as, so-called, ghost states that bifurcate from them. We obtain the relevant symmetry breaking bifurcations and numerically follow the associated dynamics which give rise to growth/decay even within the PT-symmetric phase. Our obtained stationary nonlinear solutions are found to terminate in saddle-center bifurcations which are analogous to the linear PT-phase transition.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Matter-wave solitons in the counterflow of two immiscible superfluids

We study formation of solitons induced by counterflows of immiscible superfluids. Our setting is based on a quasi-one-dimensional binary Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), composed of two immiscible components with large and small numbers of atoms in them. Assuming that the "small" component moves with constant velocity, either by itself, or being dragged by a moving trap, and intrudes into the "large" counterpart, the following results are obtained. Depending on the velocity, and on whether the small component moves in the absence or in the presence of the trap, two-component dark-bright solitons, scalar dark solitons, or multiple dark solitons may emerge, the latter outcome taking place due to breakdown of the superfluidity. We present two sets of analytical results to describe this phenomenology. In an intermediate velocity regime, where dark-bright solitons form, a reduction of the two-component Gross-Pitaevskii system to an integrable Mel'nikov system is developed, demonstrating that solitary waves of the former are very accurately described by analytically available solitons of the latter. In the high-velocity regime, where the breakdown of the superfluidity induces the formation of dark solitons and multi-soliton trains, an effective single-component description, in which a strongly localized wave packet of the "small" component acts as an effective potential for the "large" one, allows us to estimate the critical velocity beyond which the coherent structures emerge in good agreement with the numerical results.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

The Drastic Role of Beyond Nearest-Neighbor Interactions on Two-Dimensional Dynamical Lattices: A Case Example

In the present work, we highlight the significant effect that the simplest beyond nearest neighbor interactions can have on two-dimensional dynamical lattices. To do so, we select as our case example the closest further neighbor, namely the diagonal one, and a prototypical nonlinear lattice, the discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation. Varying solely the strength of this extra neighbor interaction, we see examples of (a) destabilization of states that start out as stable in the nearest neighbor limit; (b) stabilization of states that start out as unstable in that limit; (c) bifurcation of novel states that do not exist in the nearest neighbor case. These dramatic changes are first theoretically highlighted through an analysis of a reduction of the problem to a few excited sites and the associated set of conditions that govern their existence and their dynamical stability. Then, they are corroborated numerically through fixed point computations, spectral analysis and nonlinear dynamical evolution simulations.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Dynamics of Few Co-rotating Vortices in Bose-Einstein Condensates

We study the dynamics of small vortex clusters with few (2--4) co-rotating vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates by means of experiments, numerical computations, and theoretical analysis. All of these approaches corroborate the counter-intuitive presence of a dynamical instability of symmetric vortex configurations. The instability arises as a pitchfork bifurcation at sufficiently large values of the angular momentum that induces the emergence and stabilization of asymmetric rotating vortex configurations. The latter are quantified in the theoretical model and observed in the experiments. The dynamics is explored both for the integrable two-vortex system, where a reduction of the phase space of the system provides valuable insight, as well as for the non-integrable three- (or more) vortex case, which additionally admits the possibility of chaotic trajectories.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2013

Coupled backward- and forward-propagating solitons in a composite right/left-handed transmission line

We study the coupling between backward- and forward-propagating wave modes, with the same group velocity, in a composite right/left-handed nonlinear transmission line. Using an asymptotic multiscale expansion technique, we derive a system of two coupled nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equations governing the evolution of the envelopes of these modes. We show that this system supports a variety of backward- and forward propagating vector solitons, of the bright-bright, bright-dark and dark-bright type. Performing systematic numerical simulations in the framework of the original lattice that models the transmission line, we study the propagation properties of the derived vector soliton solutions. We show that all types of the predicted solitons exist, but differ on their robustness: only bright-bright solitons propagate undistorted for long times, while the other types are less robust, featuring shorter lifetimes. In all cases, our analytical predictions are in a very good agreement with the results of the simulations, at least up to times of the order of the solitons' lifetimes.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Nonlinear localized modes in two-dimensional electrical lattices

We report the observation of spontaneous localization of energy in two spatial dimensions in the context of nonlinear electrical lattices. Both stationary and traveling self-localized modes were generated experimentally and theoretically in a family of two-dimensional square, as well as hon- eycomb lattices composed of 6x6 elements. Specifically, we find regions in driver voltage and frequency where stationary discrete breathers, also known as intrinsic localized modes (ILM), exist and are stable due to the interplay of damping and spatially homogeneous driving. By introduc- ing additional capacitors into the unit cell, these lattices can controllably induce traveling discrete breathers. When more than one such ILMs are experimentally generated in the lattice, the interplay of nonlinearity, discreteness and wave interactions generate a complex dynamics wherein the ILMs attempt to maintain a minimum distance between one another. Numerical simulations show good agreement with experimental results, and confirm that these phenomena qualitatively carry over to larger lattice sizes.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2012

Interaction of Traveling Waves with Mass-With-Mass Defects within a Hertzian Chain

We study the dynamic response of a granular chain of particles with a resonant inclusion (i.e., a particle attached to a harmonic oscillator, or a mass-with-mass defect). We focus on the response of granular chains excited by an impulse, with no static precompression. We find that the presence of the harmonic oscillator can be used to tune the transmitted and reflected energy of a mechanical pulse by adjusting the ratio between the harmonic resonator mass and the bead mass. Furthermore, we find that this system has the capability of asymptotically trapping energy, a feature that is not present in granular chains containing other types of defects. Finally, we study the limits of low and high resonator mass, and the structure of the reflected and transmitted pulses.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2012

Breathers In Periodic Granular Chains With Multiple Band Gaps

We consider the localized nonlinear breathing modes that emerge in heterogeneous granular configurations of two materials with a periodicity of three and four beads. We examine as characteristic examples chains with 1 steel and 2 alumnium beads, as well as ones with 1 steel and three aluminum beads. We analyze the higher order gaps that emerge in such settings and explore the intrinsic localized modes that bifurcate from the edge of the upper bands. A generic surprising feature of such states is that they appear to be more robust than their counterparts bifurcating from the edges of the lower bands. Direct numerical simulations, using driving of the system at suitable frequencies through an actuator or taking advantage of the modulational instabilities of extended band edge states in the system illustrate the spontaneous formation of localized modes within the corresponding nearest gaps.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2012

PT-symmetric lattices with spatially extended gain/loss are generically unstable

We illustrate, through a series of prototypical examples, that linear parity-time (PT) symmetric lattices with extended gain/loss profiles are generically unstable, for any non-zero value of the gain/loss coefficient. Our examples include a parabolic real potential with a linear imaginary part and the cases of no real and constant or linear imaginary potentials. On the other hand, this instability can be avoided and the spectrum can be real for localized or compact PT-symmetric potentials. The linear lattices are analyzed through discrete Fourier transform techniques complemented by numerical computations.

nlin.SI↗

arXiv2012

Hysteresis Loops and Multi-stability: From Periodic Orbits to Chaotic Dynamics (and Back) in Diatomic Granular Crystals

In the present work we consider a diatomic granular crystal, consisting of alternating aluminum and steel spheres, where the first sphere is an aluminum one. The combination of dissipation, driving of the boundary, and intrinsic nonlinearity leads to complex dynamics. Specifically, we find that the interplay of nonlinear surface modes with modes created by the driver create the possibility, as the driving amplitude is increased, of limit cycle saddle-node bifurcations beyond which the dynamics of the system becomes chaotic. In this chaotic state, part of the applied energy can propagate through the chain. We also find that the chaotic branch depends weakly on the driving frequency and speculate a connection between the chaotic dynamics with the gap openings between the spheres. Finally, a reverse parametric continuation reveals hysteretic dynamics and the existence of an interval of multi-stability involving stable periodic solutions and genuinely chaotic ones. The computational identification and theoretical interpretation of the bifurcation diagram of the system is corroborated by direct experimental measurements showcasing all of the above features.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2012

Escape Dynamics in the Discrete Repulsive ϕ^4-Model

We study deterministic escape dynamics in the framework of the discrete Klein-Gordon modelwith a repulsive quartic on-site potential. Using a combination of analytical techniques, based on differential and algebraic inequalities and selected numerical illustrations, we first derive conditions for collapse of an initially excited single-site unit, for both the Hamiltonian and the linearly damped versions of the system and showcase different potential fates of the single-site excitation, such as the possibility to be "pulled back" from outside the well or to "drive over" the barrier some of its neighbors. Next, we study the evolution of a uniform (small) segment of the chain and, in turn, consider the conditions that support its escape and collapse of the chain. Finally, our path from one to the few and finally to the many excited sites is completed by a modulational stability analysis and the exploration of its connection to the escape process for plane wave initial data. This reveals the existence of three distinct regimes, namely modulational stability, modulational instability without escape and, finally, modulational instability accompanied by escape. These are corroborated by direct numerical simulations. In each of the above cases, the variations of the relevant model parameters enable a consideration of the interplay of discreteness and nonlinearity within the observed phenomenology.

nlin.PS↗