Asymptotics of the Critical Regimes of Internal Gravity Wave Generation

The problem of constructing an asymptotic representation of the solution of the internal gravity wave field excited by a source moving at a velocity close to the maximum group velocity of the individual wave mode is considered. For the critical regimes of individual mode generation the asymptotic representation of the solution obtained is expressed in terms of a zero-order Macdonald function. The results of numerical calculations based on the exact and asymptotic formulas are given.     

Internal waves induced by moving periodic perturbations applied to the surface of a stratified fluid

Investigations of internal wave generation by moving perturbations are of considerable interest for submarine navigation, hydroacoustics, ocean seismology, etc. The main results for perturbations of constant intensity were published in [1–3]. In the present paper we continue the investigations and study moving perturbations whose intensity varies periodically in time. The perturbations are approximated by surface shape variations or an external pressure on the surface. The vertical displacement of the water particles relative to the equilibrium position is obtained in the form of a series in terms of waves modes for a given density stratification. A calculation algorithm and a program for computing each of the wave modes have been compiled. The boundaries of the wave regions and constant-phase lines are constructed and the displacement amplitudes are calculated. It is shown that there are resonance relations between the oscillation frequency and the perturbation velocity for which the displacement for a given mode becomes infinite (in the linear theory). Rostov-on-Don. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 130–135, July–August, 1994.     

Internal wave generation by a fountain in a stratified fluid

The purpose of the study is the direct numerical and theoretical modeling of fountain dynamics in a fluid with density stratification in the form of a pycnocline. The fountain is formed as a vertical jet penetrates through the pycnocline. In numerical simulation the jet flow is initiated by means of preassigning a boundary condition in the form of an upward-directed laminar flow of a neutral-buoyancy fluid with an axisymmetric Gaussian velocity profile. The calculations show that at a Froude number Fr greater than a certain critical value the flow becomes unstable and the fountain executes self-oscillations accompanied by internal wave generation in the pycnocline. Depending on Fr, two self-oscillation modes can be distinguished. At fairly low Fr the fountain executes circular motion in the horizontal plane, in the vicinity of the center of jet, its shape remaining almost invariant. In this case, internal waves in the form of unwinding spirals are radiated. At fairly high Fr another mode predominates, when the fountain top chaotically “strays” in the vicinity of the center of the jet and, periodically breaking down, generates wave packets propagating toward the periphery of the computation domain. In both cases, the main peak in the frequency spectrum of the internal waves coincides with the fountain top oscillation frequency which monotonically decreases with increase in Fr. In numerical simulation the Fr-dependence of the fountain top oscillation amplitude is in good agreement with that predicted by the theoretical model of the concurrence of the interacting modes in the soft self-excitation regime.     

Asymptotic solutions of higher approximations of fields of internal gravity waves in variable-depth stratified media

A problem of wave dynamics of internal gravity waves in a variable-depth stratified medium is considered. By using a modified method of geometrical optics (vertical modes—horizontal rays), wave modes of higher approximations of asymptotic solutions are constructed. It is demonstrated that the main contributions to the solution in real stratified media are made by the first terms of the corresponding asymptotic presentations.     

Uniform far field asymptotics of internal gravity waves from a source moving in a stratified fluid layer with smoothly varying bottom

The far field asymptotics of internal waves is constructed for the case when a point source of mass moves in a layer of arbitrarily stratified fluid with slowly varying bottom. The solutions obtained describe the far field both near the wave fronts of each individual mode and away from the wave fronts and are expansions in Airy or Fresnel waves with the argument determined from the solution of the corresponding eikonal equation. The amplitude of the wave field is determined from the energy conservation law along the ray tube. For model distributions of the bottom shape and the stratification describing the typical pattern of the ocean shelf eract analytic expressions are obtained for the rays, and the properties of the phase structure of the wave field are analyzed. Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 111–120, May–June, 1998. This work was financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 96-01-01120).     

Precursor waves associated with the motion of sources of variable intensity in a stratified fluid

When a source of variable intensity moves in a stratified fluid, several types of waves, possibly including waves that outstrip the source (precursor waves), are generated. By analyzing the expressions for the mean energy losses due to internal wave radiation per unit time it is shown that in fluids with convex wave dispersion curves up to four types of waves per mode are possible. One of these types, which vanishes under supercritical conditions, is related to the precursor waves. The angle dependence of these waves and their conditions of excitation with respect to source velocity are established. Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.2, pp. 97–103, March–April, 1994.     

Short-wave modes for wave ducts in quasi-stratified media

Propagation of harmonic waves in three-dimensional ducts, with slowly varying properties in the horizontal directions, is treated. The wave length is assumed to be small in comparison with the width of the duct. A set of asymptotic solutions to the wave equation (generalisations of normal modes of horizontally homogeneous wave-guides) is constructed. The method extends the applicability region of the method of “vertical modes and horizontal rays” and gives a simple estimation of the latter. Oscillations bounded by the wave-guide's boundaries or by the caustics are treated, and a unified formal procedure for construction of appropriate asymptotic solutions is proposed. The vicinity of ‘horizontal caustics’ is investigated. The analysis is carried out for the examples of acoustic and internal gravitational waves in fluids.     

Rigorous Asymptotic Expansions for Critical Wave Speeds in a Family of Scalar Reaction-Diffusion Equations

We investigate traveling wave solutions in a family of reaction-diffusion equations which includes the Fisher–Kolmogorov–Petrowskii–Piscounov (FKPP) equation with quadratic nonlinearity and a bistable equation with degenerate cubic nonlinearity. It is known that, for each equation in this family, there is a critical wave speed which separates waves of exponential decay from those of algebraic decay at one of the end states. We derive rigorous asymptotic expansions for these critical speeds by perturbing off the classical FKPP and bistable cases. Our approach uses geometric singular perturbation theory and the blow-up technique, as well as a variant of the Melnikov method, and confirms the results previously obtained through asymptotic analysis in [J.H. Merkin and D.J. Needham, (1993). J. Appl. Math. Phys. (ZAMP) A, vol. 44, No. 4, 707–721] and [T.P. Witelski, K. Ono, and T.J. Kaper, (2001). Appl. Math. Lett., vol. 14, No. 1, 65–73].     

Breaking of waves of limiting amplitude over an obstacle

Homogeneous heavy fluid flows over an uneven bottom are studied in a long-wave approximation. A mathematical model is proposed that takes into account both the dispersion effects and the formation of a turbulent upper layer due to the breaking of surface gravity waves. The asymptotic behavior of nonlinear perturbations at the wave front is studied, and the conditions of transition from smooth flows to breaking waves are obtained for steady-state supercritical flow over a local obstacle. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 47, No. 3, pp. 3–11, May–June, 2006.     

Breaking of gravity waves in a neighborhood of their second critical propagation speed

Experimental data on gravity shallow-water waves generated by a vertical plate moving in a predetermined manner are given. The plate completely covers the cross section of the channel. It is found that with when the wave speed exceeds the first critical value known in hydraulics, the wave retains smoothness. Breaking of the waves begins at the second critical speed (which is about 1.3 times as high), whose value coincides with the limiting propagation speed of a solitary wave. Lavrent'ev Institute of Hydrodynamics, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 52–58, March–April, 1998.     

Internal waves in a two-layer electrically conducting fluid in the presence of a magnetic field

The propagation of linear and nonlinear internal waves along the interface between two weakly conducting media differing in density and electrical conductivity is investigated and the influence of MHD interaction effects on their characteristics is analyzed. It is shown that in this system the waves propagate with dispersion and dissipation, and for harmonic waves of infinitesimal amplitude there exists a range of wave numbers on which propagating modes do not exist. For waves of finite amplitude a nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a dissipative perturbation is obtained and its asymptotic solution is found. It is established that the presence of electrical conductivity and an applied magnetic field leads to a decrease in the amplitude and the frequency of the envelope of the wave train.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 104–108, September–October, 1990.     

On a class of internal solitary waves in a two-layer fluid

Solitary waves on an interface between two fluids are considered. A uniform asymptotic expansion is constructed for internal solitary waves with flat crests (of the plateau type) that degenerate into a bore in the limit. It is shown that, in this case, in contrast to a Korteweg-de Vries wave, the wave amplitude is of the same order of smallness as the longwave approximation parameter. Lavrent’ev Institute of Hydrodynamics, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 40, No. 5, pp. 55–61, September–October, 1999.     

Internal Gravity Waves Generated by an Oscillating Source of Perturbations Moving with Subcritical Velocity

This paper considers the problem of constructing far-field asymptotics of internal gravity waves generated by an oscillating local source of perturbations moving in a stratified flow of finite depth. The velocity of the perturbation source does not exceed the maximum group velocity of an individual wave mode. The wave pattern consists of waves of two types: annular and wedge-shaped. Solutions expressed in terms of the Hankel function are obtained for the asymptotics of annular waves. The asymptotics of wedge-shaped waves are expressed in terms of the Airy function and its derivative.     

Solitary waves for a nonlinear dispersive long wave equation

All the possible traveling wave solutions of Whitham-Broer-Kaup （WBK） equation are investigated in the present paper. By employing phase plane analysis, transition boundaries are derived to divide the parameter space into several regions associated with different types of phase portraits corresponding to different forms of wave solutions. All the exact expressions of bounded wave solutions are obtained as well as their existence conditions. The mechanism of bifurcation between different waves with varying Hamiltonian value has been revealed. It is pointed out that as the periods of two coexisted periodic waves tend to infinity, they may evolve to two solitary waves. Furthermore, when their trajectories pass through the common saddle point, the two solitary waves may merge into a periodic wave, and its amplitude is nearly equal to the sum of the amplitudes of the two solitary wave solutions.     

Generation of beams of three-dimensional periodic internal waves by sources of various types

The energy and force characteristics of periodic internal wave beams in a viscous exponentially stratified fluid are analyzed. The exact solutions of linearized problems of generation obtained by integral transformations describe not only three-dimensional internal waves but also the associated boundary layers of two types. The solutions not containing empirical parameters are brought to a form that allows a direct comparison with experimental data for generators of various types (friction, piston, and combined) of rectangular or elliptic shape. The stress tensor and force components acting on the generator are given in quadratures. In the limiting cases, the solutions are uniformly transformed to the corresponding expressions for the problems in a two-dimensional formulation. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 47, No. 3, pp. 12–23, May–June, 2006     

Diffraction of internal waves by a circular cylinder near the pycnocline

Propagation of internal waves over a circular cylinder under the conditions of a continuous stratification characterized by the presence of a high-gradient density layer (the pycnocline) of finite thickness is studied. The dependences of the coefficent of wave propagation on the wavelength of the first-mode incident wave for various thicknesses of the pycnocline are obtained. In the diffraction of internal waves, substantial nonlinear effects are shown to occur, which result in the appearance of waves of double oscillation frequency compared to the frequency of the incident waves. The generation coefficient for these waves is found. Lavrent’ev Institute of Hydrodynamics, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 79–85, March–April, 1999.     

Classification of instability modes in a model of aluminium reduction cells with a uniform magnetic field

A unified view on the interfacial instability in a model of aluminium reduction cells in the presence of a uniform, vertical, background magnetic field is presented. The classification of instability modes is based on the asymptotic theory for high values of parameter β, which characterises the ratio of the Lorentz force based on the disturbance current, and gravity. It is shown that the spectrum of the travelling waves consists of two parts independent of the horizontal cross-section of the cell: highly unstable wall modes and stable or weakly unstable centre, or Sele’s modes. The wall modes with the disturbance of the interface being localised at the sidewalls of the cell dominate the dynamics of instability. Sele’s modes are characterised by a distributed disturbance over the whole horizontal extent of the cell. As β increases these modes are stabilized by the field.     

A New Lagrangian Asymptotic Solution for Gravity–Capillary Waves in Water of Finite Depth

A third-order Lagrangian asymptotic solution is derived for gravity–capillary waves in water of finite depth. The explicit parametric solution gives the trajectory of a water particle and the wave kinematics for Lagrangian points above the mean water level, and in a water column. The water particle orbits and mass transport velocity as functions of the surface tension are obtained. Some remarkable trajectories may contain one or multiple sub-loops for steep waves and large surface tension. Overall, an increase in surface tension tends to increase the motions of surface particles including the relative horizontal distance travelled by a particle as well as the time-averaged drift velocity     

Estimate of the applicability limits of a linear theory of internal waves

Using a perturbation method, the applicability limits of a linear theory of internal gravity waves are estimated. It is shown that over a wide range of wavelengths, typical of a real ocean, in studying the dynamics of internal gravity waves it is possible to use a linear approximation, which confirms the validity and adequacy of this approximation for the corresponding spatial and temporal scales of the linear model of wave dynamics.     

Generation of unsteady waves by concentrated disturbances in an inviscid fluid with an inertial surface

The surface waves generated by unsteady concentrated disturbances in an initially quiescent fluid of infinite depth with an inertial surface are analytically investigated for two- and three-dimensional cases. The fluid is assumed to be inviscid, incompressible and homogenous. The inertial surface represents the effect of a thin uniform distribution of non-interacting floating matter. Four types of unsteady concentrated disturbances and two kinds of initial values are considered, namely an instantaneous/oscillating mass source immersed in the fluid, an instantaneous/oscillating impulse on the surface, an initial impulse on the surface of the fluid, and an initial displacement of the surface. The linearized initial-boundary-value problem is formulated within the framework of potential flow. The solutions in integral form for the surface elevation are obtained by means of a joint Laplace-Fourier transform. The asymptotic representations of the wave motion for large time with a fixed distance- to-time ratio are derived by using the method of stationary phase. The effect of the presence of an inertial surface on the wave motion is analyzed. It is found that the wavelengths of the transient dispersive waves increase while those of the steady-state progressive waves decrease. All the wave amplitudes decrease in comparison with those of conventional free-surface waves. The explicit expressions for the freesurface gravity waves can readily be recovered by the present results as the inertial surface disappears.