A new formulation of the water wave problem for Stokes waves of constant vorticity

We consider steady symmetric gravity water waves on finite depth with constant vorticity and a monotone surface profile between crests and troughs. The problem is transformed into one concerning the vertical velocity. A representation formula for the stream function in terms of the surface and the vorticity is presented, and we show that the surface can be determined from the vertical velocity.     

Approximations of steady periodic water waves in flows with constant vorticity

We provide high-order approximations to periodic travelling wave profiles and to the velocity field and the pressure beneath the waves, in flows with constant vorticity over a flat bed.     

Asymptotic expansions for steady periodic water waves in flows with constant vorticity

We provide high-order approximations to periodic travelling wave profiles, through a novel expansion which incorporates the variation of the total mechanical energy of the water wave. We show that these approximations are extended to any finite order. Moreover, we provide the velocity field and the pressure beneath the waves, in flows with constant vorticity over a flat bed.     

Modulation theory solution for nonlinearly resonant,fifth‐order Korteweg–de Vries,nonclassical, traveling dispersive shock waves

A new class of resonant dispersive shock waves was recently identified as solutions of the Kawahara equation— a Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) type nonlinear wave equation with third‐ and fifth‐order spatial derivatives— in the regime of nonconvex, linear dispersion. Linear resonance resulting from the third‐ and fifth‐order terms in the Kawahara equation was identified as the key ingredient for nonclassical dispersive shock wave solutions. Here, nonlinear wave (Whitham) modulation theory is used to construct approximate nonclassical traveling dispersive shock wave (TDSW) solutions of the fifth‐ order KdV equation without the third derivative term, hence without any linear resonance. A self‐similar, simple wave modulation solution of the fifth order, weakly nonlinear KdV–Whitham equations is obtained that matches a constant to a heteroclinic traveling wave via a partial dispersive shock wave so that the TDSW is interpreted as a nonlinear resonance. The modulation solution is compared with full numerical solutions, exhibiting excellent agreement. The TDSW is shown to be modulationally stable in the presence of sufficiently small third‐order dispersion. The Kawahara–Whitham modulation equations transition from hyperbolic to elliptic type for sufficiently large third‐order dispersion, which provides a possible route for the TDSW to exhibit modulational instability.     

Solitary wave solutions to the Isobe-Kakinuma model for water waves

We consider the Isobe-Kakinuma model for two-dimensional water waves in the case of a flat bottom. The Isobe-Kakinuma model is a system of Euler-Lagrange equations for a Lagrangian approximating Luke's Lagrangian for water waves. We show theoretically the existence of a family of small amplitude solitary wave solutions to the Isobe-Kakinuma model in the long wave regime. Numerical analysis for large amplitude solitary wave solutions is also provided and suggests the existence of a solitary wave of extreme form with a sharp crest.     

Rotational waves generated by current‐topography interaction

We study nonlinear free‐surface rotational waves generated through the interaction of a vertically sheared current with a topography. Equivalently, the waves may be generated by a pressure distribution along the free surface. A forced Korteweg–de Vries equation (fKdV) is deduced incorporating these features. The weakly nonlinear, weakly dispersive reduced model is valid for small amplitude topographies. To study the effect of gradually increasing the topography amplitude, the free surface Euler equations are formulated in the presence of a variable depth and a sheared current of constant vorticity. Under constant vorticity, the harmonic velocity component is formulated in a simplified canonical domain, through the use of a conformal mapping which flattens both the free surface as well as the bottom topography. Critical, supercritical, and subcritical Froude number regimes are considered, while the bottom amplitude is gradually increased in both the irrotational and rotational wave regimes. Solutions to the fKdV model are compared to those from the Euler equations. We show that for rotational waves the critical Froude number is shifted away from 1. New stationary solutions are found and their stability tested numerically.     

Flux singularities in multiphase wavetrains and the Kadomtsev‐Petviashvili equation with applications to stratified hydrodynamics

This paper illustrates how the singularity of the wave action flux causes the Kadomtsev‐Petviashvili (KP) equation to arise naturally from the modulation of a two‐phased wavetrain, causing the dispersion to emerge from the classical Whitham modulation theory. Interestingly, the coefficients of the resulting KP are shown to be related to the associated conservation of wave action for the original wavetrain, and therefore may be obtained prior to the modulation. This provides a universal form for the KP as a dispersive reduction from any Lagrangian with the appropriate wave action flux singularity. The theory is applied to the full water wave problem with two layers of stratification, illustrating how the KP equation arises from the modulation of a uniform flow state and how its coefficients may be extracted from the system.     

Viability of circle and sphere theorems in potential theory and hydrodynamics via Maxwell's conjecture

In A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, Maxwell determines the angles of intersection for which one may use Kelvin's inversion method to obtain the perturbed electric potential upon placing intersecting spherical conductors into a region with a known potential. There are numerous modern applications utilizing this geometric construction in potential theory and hydrodynamics, and generalized circle and sphere theorems play a foundational role in this area of mathematical physics. In his work, Maxwell gives an intuitive argument for obtaining the perturbed potential based on intersecting planar conductors and a spherical inversion, and in this paper we extend his ideas to a full proof using rotational transformations and reflections. In the process, we disprove results in [Proc Lond Math Soc., 1966:3(16)] and [Stud Appl Math., 2001:106(4); Z. Angew. Math. Mech., 2001:81(8)] on boundary value problems in hydrodynamics involving intersecting circles and spheres, and we detail the angles of intersection for which these theorems are viable. Moreover, our proof recovers a special case overlooked by Maxwell for which Kelvin's inversion method may be utilized to obtain full solutions.     

Prohibitions caused by nonlocality for nonlocal Boussinesq‐KdV type systems

It is found that two different celebrate models, the Korteweg de‐Vrise (KdV) equation and the Boussinesq equation, are linked to a same model equation but with different nonlocalities. The nonlocal KdV equation can be derived in two ways, via the so‐called consistent correlated bang companied by the parity and time reversal from the local KdV equation and via the parity and time reversal symmetry reduction from a coupled local KdV system which is a two‐layer fluid model. The same model can be called as the nonlocal Boussinesq system if the nonlocality is changed as only one of parity and time reversal. The nonlocal Boussinesq equation can be derived via the parity or time reversal symmetry reduction from the local Boussinesq equation. For the nonlocal Boussinesq equation, with help of the bilinear approach and recasting the multisoliton solutions of the usual Boussinesq equation to an equivalent novel form, the multisoliton solutions with even numbers and the head on interactions are obtained. However, the multisoliton solutions with odd numbers and the multisoliton solutions with even numbers but with pursuant interactions are prohibited. For the nonlocal KdV equation, the multisoliton solutions exhibit many more structures because an arbitrary odd function of can be introduced as background waves of the usual KdV equation.     

Numerical simulation of discontinuous waves propagating over a dry bed

A numerical algorithm is proposed for simulating the propagation of discontinuous waves over a dry bed governed by the shallow water equations in the first approximation. The algorithm is based on a modified conservation law of total momentum that takes into account the concentrated momentum loss associated with the formation of local eddy structures within the framework of the long-wave approximation. The modified conservation law involves a heuristic parameter that is chosen so as to agree with laboratory experiments. Numerical results are presented for the formation, propagation, and transformation of a discontinuous wave arising in a complete or partial (in the planned case) collapse of a dam over a bed with a horizontal or sloping bottom or a bottom with a local obstacle in the tailwater area.     

Existence of capillary-gravity water waves with piecewise constant vorticity

In this paper we construct small-amplitude periodic capillary-gravity water waves with a piecewise constant vorticity distribution. They describe water waves traveling on superposed linearly sheared currents that have different vorticities. This is achieved by associating to the height function formulation of the water wave problem a diffraction problem where we impose suitable transmission conditions on each line where the vorticity function has a jump. The solutions of the diffraction problem, found by using local bifurcation theory, are the desired solutions of the hydrodynamical problem.     

Canonical conformal variables based method for stability of Stokes waves

We study the stability of Stokes waves in an ideal fluid of infinite depth. The perturbations that are either coperiodic with a Stokes wave (superharmonics) or integer multiples of its period (subharmonics) are considered. The eigenvalue problem is formulated using the conformal canonical Hamiltonian variables and admits numerical solution in a matrix-free manner. We find that the operator matrix of the eigenvalue problem can be factored into a product of two operators: a self-adjoint operator and an operator inverted analytically. Moreover, the self-adjoint operator matrix is efficiently inverted by a Krylov-space-based method and enjoys spectral accuracy. Application of the operator matrix associated with the eigenvalue problem requires only $O(N\log N)$ flops, where N is the number of Fourier modes needed to resolve a Stokes wave. Additionally, due to the matrix-free approach, $O(N^2)$ storage for the matrix of coefficients is no longer required. The new method is based on the shift-invert technique, and its application is illustrated in the classic examples of the Benjamin–Feir and the superharmonic instabilities. Simulations confirm numerical results of preceding works and recent theoretical work for the Benjamin–Feir instability (for small amplitude waves), and new results for large amplitude waves are shown.     

Resonances for water waves over flows with piecewise constant vorticity

We investigate three and four-wave resonances of capillary–gravity water waves arising as the free surface of water flows exhibiting piecewise constant vorticity. More precisely, our type of flow has a jump in the vorticity distribution that separates a rotational layer at the top (commonly generated by wind-shear) from another rotational layer adjacent to the sea-bed, region that accommodates strong sheared currents. Instrumental in deriving our findings is the dispersion relation for such flows having a jump in the distribution of the vorticity. In general, for rotational flows of non-constant vorticity, the dispersion relation is very intricate. However, we show that a disentanglement occurs in the case of capillary–gravity water waves for which the ratio “thickness of the near-surface vortical layer/the wavelength of the surface wave” is sufficiently large. More precisely, we find explicitly two solutions, ${\lambda }_0$ and ${\lambda }_1$ that represent the (relative) surface wave speed. We then confirm analytically that ${\lambda }_1$ gives rise to three-wave resonances for capillary–gravity water waves with wavelengths not exceeding 2 cm. However, for significant wavelength range, we establish that ${\lambda }_1$ does not lead to four-wave resonances. In contrast to the previous conclusion ${\lambda }_0$ does not bring about three-wave resonances, but is able to generate four-wave resonances.     

Internal gravity–capillary solitary waves in finite depth

We consider a two‐dimensional inviscid irrotational flow in a two layer fluid under the effects of gravity and interfacial tension. The upper fluid is bounded above by a rigid lid, and the lower fluid is bounded below by a rigid bottom. We use a spatial dynamics approach and formulate the steady Euler equations as a Hamiltonian system, where we consider the unbounded horizontal coordinate x as a time‐like coordinate. The linearization of the Hamiltonian system is studied, and bifurcation curves in the (β,α)‐plane are obtained, where α and β are two parameters. The curves depend on two additional parameters ρ and h, where ρ is the ratio of the densities and h is the ratio of the fluid depths. However, the bifurcation diagram is found to be qualitatively the same as for surface waves. In particular, we find that a Hamiltonian‐Hopf bifurcation, Hamiltonian real 1:1 resonance, and a Hamiltonian 0²‐resonance occur for certain values of (β,α). Of particular interest are solitary wave solutions of the Euler equations. Such solutions correspond to homoclinic solutions of the Hamiltonian system. We investigate the parameter regimes where the Hamiltonian‐Hopf bifurcation and the Hamiltonian real 1:1 resonance occur. In both these cases, we perform a center manifold reduction of the Hamiltonian system and show that homoclinic solutions of the reduced system exist. In contrast to the case of surface waves, we find parameter values ρ and h for which the leading order nonlinear term in the reduced system vanishes. We make a detailed analysis of this phenomenon in the case of the real 1:1 resonance. We also briefly consider the Hamiltonian 0²‐resonance and recover the results found by Kirrmann. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mass distribution and skewness for passive scalar transport in pipes with polygonal and smooth cross sections

We extend our previous results characterizing the loading properties of a diffusing passive scalar advected by a laminar shear flow in ducts and channels to more general cross‐sectional shapes, including regular polygons and smoothed corner ducts originating from deformations of ellipses. For the case of the triangle and localized, cross‐wise uniform initial distributions, short‐time skewness is calculated exactly to be positive, while long‐time asymptotics shows it to be negative. Monte Carlo simulations confirm these predictions, and document the timescale for sign change. The equilateral triangle appears to be the only regular polygon with this property—all others possess positive skewness at all times. Alternatively, closed‐form flow solutions can be constructed for smooth deformations of ellipses, and illustrate how both nonzero short‐time skewness and the possibility of multiple sign switching in time is unrelated to domain corners. Exact conditions relating the median and the skewness to the mean are developed which guarantee when the sign for the skewness implies front (more mass to the right of the mean) or back (more mass to the left of the mean) “loading” properties of the evolving tracer distribution along the pipe. Short‐ and long‐time asymptotics confirm this condition, and Monte Carlo simulations verify this at all times. The simulations are also used to examine the role of corners and boundaries on the distribution for short‐time evolution of point source , as opposed to cross‐wise uniform, initial data.     

Interfacial long traveling waves in a two‐layer fluid with variable depth

Long wave propagation in a two‐layer fluid with variable depth is studied for specific bottom configurations, which allow waves to propagate over large distances. Such configurations are found within the linear shallow‐water theory and determined by a family of solutions of the second‐order ordinary differential equation (ODE) with three arbitrary constants. These solutions can be used to approximate the true bottom bathymetry. All such solutions represent smooth bottom profiles between two different singular points. The first singular point corresponds to the point where the two‐layer flow transforms into a uniform one. In the vicinity of this point nonlinear shallow‐water theory is used and the wave breaking criterion, which corresponds to the gradient catastrophe is found. The second bifurcation point corresponds to an infinite increase in water depth, which contradicts the shallow‐water assumption. This point is eliminated by matching the “nonreflecting” bottom profile with a flat bottom. The wave transformation at the matching point is described by the second‐order Fredholm equation and its approximated solution is then obtained. The results extend the theory of internal waves in inhomogeneous stratified fluids actively developed by Prof. Roger Grimshaw, to the new solutions types.     

Internal Gerstner waves: applications to dead water

We give an explicit solution describing internal waves with a still-water surface, a situation akin to the well-known dead-water phenomenon, on the basis of the Gerstner wave solution to the Euler equations.     

On the symmetry of equatorial travelling water waves with constant vorticity and stagnation points

The aim of this paper is to prove that equatorial travelling water waves at the surface of water flows with constant vorticity are symmetric, provided they have a profile that is monotonic between crests and troughs and that there are no stagnation points in the subsurface region.