Multibreather solitons in the diffraction managed NLS equation

We study analytically and numerically localized breather solutions in the averaged discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLS) with diffraction management, a system that models coupled waveguide arrays with periodic diffraction management geometries. Localized breathers can be characterized as constrained critical points of the Hamiltonian of the averaged diffraction managed NLS. In addition to local extrema, we find numerically more general solutions that are saddle points of the constrained Hamiltonian. An interesting class of saddle points are “multi-bump” solutions that are close to superpositions of translates of simpler breathers. In the case of zero residual diffraction and small diffraction management, the existence of multibumps can be shown rigorously by a continuation argument.     

Continuation of normal modes in finite NLS lattices

We study the continuation of breather solutions of the discrete NLS equation as the intersite coupling parameter is varied. Considering the case of a finite one-dimensional lattice of N sites, we show the existence of N branches of breathers that persist for arbitrary coupling, thus connecting normal modes of the linear system to breathers of the uncoupled, anticontinuous limit system. The proof is based on global bifurcation theory, applied to the continuation from the weakly nonlinear regime. As the coupling parameter varies these solutions generally change their stability, and we detect parameter regions where trajectories starting near unstable breathers appear to reach equipartition of power.     

Dissipative discrete breathers: periodic,quasiperiodic, chaotic,and mobile

The properties of discrete breathers in dissipative one-dimensional lattices of nonlinear oscillators subject to periodic driving forces are reviewed. We focus on oscillobreathers in the Frenkel-Kontorova chain and rotobreathers in a ladder of Josephson junctions. Both types of exponentially localized solutions are easily obtained numerically using adiabatic continuation from the anticontinuous limit. Linear stability (Floquet) analysis allows the characterization of different types of bifurcations experienced by periodic discrete breathers. Some of these bifurcations produce nonperiodic localized solutions, namely, quasiperiodic and chaotic discrete breathers, which are generally impossible as exact solutions in Hamiltonian systems. Within a certain range of parameters, propagating breathers occur as attractors of the dissipative dynamics. General features of these excitations are discussed and the Peierls-Nabarro barrier is addressed. Numerical scattering experiments with mobile breathers reveal the existence of two-breather bound states and allow a first glimpse at the intricate phenomenology of these special multibreather configurations.     

Intraband discrete breathers in disordered nonlinear systems. I. Delocalization

The existence of Discrete Breathers or DBs (also called Intrinsic Localized Modes or ILMs) and multibreathers, is investigated in a simple one-dimensional chain of random anharmonic oscillators with quartic potentials coupled by springs. When the breather frequency is outside and above the linearized (phonon) spectrum, the existence theorems and numerical methods previously used in periodic nonlinear models for finding time-periodic and spatially localized solutions, hold identically in random nonlinear systems. These solutions are extraband discrete breathers (EDBs). When the frequencies penetrate inside the linearized spectrum, the existence theorems do not hold. Our numerical investigations demonstrate that the strict continuation of (localized) EDBs as intraband discrete breathers (IDBs) is impossible because of cascades of bifurcations generating many discontinuities. A detailed analysis of these bifurcations for small systems with increasing sizes, shows that only a relatively small subset of the spatially extended multibreathers can be strictly continued while their frequency varies inside the phonon spectrum. We propose an ansatz for finding the coding sequences of these solutions and continuing safely these multibreathers in finite systems of any size. This continuation ends at a lower limit frequency where the solution annihilates through a bifurcation with another multibreather. A smaller subset of these multibreather solutions can be continued to amplitude zero and become linear localized modes at this limit. Conversely, any linear localized mode can be continued when increasing its frequency as an extended multibreather. Extrapolation of these results to infinite systems yields the main conclusion of this first part which is that nonlinearity in disordered systems (with localized eigenmodes only) restores their capability of energy transportation by generating infinitely many spatially extended time-periodic solutions. This approach yields mainly spatially extended solutions, except sometimes at their bifurcation points. In the second part of this work, which is presented in our next article, we develop an accurate method for calculating in situ localized IDBs.     

Discrete breathers

Nonlinear classical Hamiltonian lattices exhibit generic solutions in the form of discrete breathers. These solutions are time-periodic and (typically exponentially) localized in space. The lattices exhibit discrete translational symmetry. Discrete breathers are not confined to certain lattice dimensions. Necessary ingredients for their occurrence are the existence of upper bounds on the phonon spectrum (of small fluctuations around the groundstate) of the system as well as the nonlinearity in the differential equations. We will present existence proofs, formulate necessary existence conditions, and discuss structural stability of discrete breathers. The following results will be also discussed: the creation of breathers through tangent bifurcation of band edge plane waves; dynamical stability; details of the spatial decay; numerical methods of obtaining breathers; interaction of breathers with phonons and electrons; movability; influence of the lattice dimension on discrete breather properties; quantum lattices — quantum breathers.Finally we will formulate a new conceptual approach capable of predicting whether discrete breathers exist for a given system or not, without actually solving for the breather. We discuss potential applications in lattice dynamics of solids (especially molecular crystals), selective bond excitations in large molecules, dynamical properties of coupled arrays of Josephson junctions, and localization of electromagnetic waves in photonic crystals with nonlinear response.     

Periodic, Quasiperiodic and Chaotic Discrete Breathers in a Parametrical Driven Two-Dimensional Discrete Klein-Gordon Lattice

We study a two-dimensional lattice of anharmonic oscillators with only quartic nearest-neighbor interactions, in which discrete breathers can be explicitly constructed by an exact separation of their time and space dependence. DBs can stably exist in the two-dimensional Klein-Gordon lattice with hard on-site potential. When a parametric driving term is introduced in the factor multiplying the harmonic part of the on-site potential of the system, we can obtain the stable quasiperiodic discrete breathers and chaotic discrete breathers by changing the amplitude of the driver.     

Discrete breathers in the Peyrard-Bishop model of DNA

The Peyrard-Bishop model, which describes the dynamics of a DNA molecule, is considered. The solutions that represent discrete breathers are derived in the framework of the model. The dynamic stability of the stationary discrete breathers with respect to small perturbations is studied. The solutions can be interpreted as the experimentally observed opening of the base pairs in the DNA double strand at the initial stages of denaturation. It is also demonstrated that the model allows the existence of mobile breathers that move in the absence of perturbations in the environment. The interaction of the mobile breathers is numerically simulated. The Peierls-Nabarro barrier and the effective mass and velocity of the breather are estimated.     

Different kinds of discrete breathers in a Sine–Gordon lattice

We study a one-dimensional Sine–Gordon lattice of anharmonic oscillators with cubic and quartic nearest-neighbor interactions, in which discrete breathers can be explicitly constructed by an exact separation of their time and space dependence. DBs can stably exist in the one-dimensional Sine–Gordon lattice no matter whether the nonlinear interaction is cubic or quartic. When a parametric driving term is introduced in the factor multiplying the harmonic part of the on-site potential of the system, we can obtain the stable quasiperiodic discrete breathers and chaotic discrete breathers by changing the amplitude of the driver.     

Different kinds of discrete breathers in a Sine-Gordon lattice

We study a one-dimensional Sine-Gordon lattice of anharmonic oscillators with cubic and quartic nearest-neighbor interactions, in which discrete breathers can be explicitly constructed by an exact separation of their time and space dependence. DBs can stably exist in the one-dimensional Sine-Gordon lattice no matter whether the nonlinear interaction is cubic or quartic. When a parametric driving term is introduced in the factor multiplying the harmonic part of the on-site potential of the system, we can obtain the stable quasiperiodic discrete breathers and chaotic discrete breathers by changing the amplitude of the driver.     

Classical breathers and quantum coherent states in discrete NLS systems

We present a comparison of quantum and “semiclassical” trajectories of coherent states that correspond to classical breather solutions of finite discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (DNLS) lattices. The main goal is to explain earlier numerical observations of recurrent return to the vicinity of initial coherent states corresponding to stable breathers that are also spatially localized. This effect can be considered as a quantum manifestation of classical spatial localization. We show that these phenomena are encoded in a simple expression for the distance between the quantum and semiclassical states that involves the basic frequencies of the classical and quantum systems, as well as the breather amplitude and quantum spectral decomposition of the system. A corollary is that recurrence phenomena are robust under perturbation of the initial conditions for stable breathers.     

Discrete Breathers in Lattices of Coupled Oscillators

Discrete breathers are generic solutions for the dynamics of nonlinearly coupled oscillators. We show that discrete breathers can be observed in low-dimensional and high-dimensional lattices by exploring the sinusoidally coupled pendulum. Loss of stability of the breather solution is studied. We also find the existence of discrete breather in lattices with parameter mismatches. Breather phase synchronization is exhibited for the coupled chaotic oscillators.     

Two-Dimensional Breather Lattice Solutions and Compact-Like Discrete Breathers and Their Stability in Discrete Two-Dimensional Monatomic β-FPU Lattice

We restrict our attention to the discrete two-dimensional monatomic β-FPU lattice. We look for two- dimensional breather lattice solutions and two-dimensional compact-like discrete breathers by using trying method and analyze their stability by using Aubry＇s linearly stable theory. We obtain the conditions of existence and stability of two-dimensional breather lattice solutions and two-dimensional compact-like discrete breathers in the discrete two- dimensional monatomic β-FPU lattice.     

Comparison between Si/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and InP/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> based MOSFETs

The discrete breathers in graphane in thermodynamic equilibrium in the temperature range 50–600 K are studied by molecular dynamics simulation. A discrete breather is a hydrogen atom vibrating along the normal to a sheet of graphane at a high amplitude. As was found earlier, the lifetime of a discrete breather at zero temperature corresponds to several tens of thousands of vibrations. The effect of temperature on the decay time of discrete breathers and the probability of their detachment from a sheet of graphane are studied in this work. It is shown that closely spaced breathers can exchange energy with each other at zero temperature. The data obtained suggest that thermally activated discrete breathers can be involved in the dehydrogenation of graphane, which is important for hydrogen energetics.     

Nonintegrable Schrodinger discrete breathers

In an extensive numerical investigation of nonintegrable translational motion of discrete breathers in nonlinear Schr?dinger lattices, we have used a regularized Newton algorithm to continue these solutions from the limit of the integrable Ablowitz-Ladik lattice. These solutions are shown to be a superposition of a localized moving core and an excited extended state (background) to which the localized moving pulse is spatially asymptotic. The background is a linear combination of small amplitude nonlinear resonant plane waves and it plays an essential role in the energy balance governing the translational motion of the localized core. Perturbative collective variable theory predictions are critically analyzed in the light of the numerical results.     

(2+1)维非线性薛定谔方程的环孤子,dromion,呼吸子和瞬子

利用分离变量法,研究了(2+1)维非线性薛定谔(NLS)方程的局域结构.由于在B?cklund变换和变量分离步骤中引入了作为种子解的任意函数,得到了NLS方程丰富的局域结构.合适地选择任意函数,局域解可以是dromion,环孤子,呼吸子和瞬子.dromion解不仅可以存在于直线孤子的交叉点上,也可以存在于曲线孤子的最近邻点上.呼吸子在幅度和形状上都进行了呼吸 关键词： 非线性薛定谔方程 分离变量法 孤子结构     

One-parameter localized traveling waves in nonlinear Schrödinger lattices

We address the existence of traveling single-humped localized solutions in the spatially discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation. A mathematical technique is developed for analysis of persistence of these solutions from a certain limit in which the dispersion relation of linear waves contains a triple zero. The technique is based on using the Implicit Function Theorem for solution of an appropriate differential advance-delay equation in exponentially weighted spaces. The resulting Melnikov calculation relies on a number of assumptions on the spectrum of the linearization around the pulse, which are checked numerically. We apply the technique to the so-called Salerno model and the translationally invariant discrete NLS equation with a cubic nonlinearity. We show that the traveling solutions terminate in the Salerno model whereas they generally persist in the translationally invariant NLS lattice as a one-parameter family of solutions. These results are found to be in a close correspondence with numerical approximations of traveling solutions with zero radiation tails. Analysis of persistence also predicts the spectral stability of the one-parameter family of traveling solutions under time evolution of the discrete NLS equation.     

Periodic, quasiperiodic and chaotic discrete breathers in a parametrical driven two-dimensional discrete diatomic Klein--Gordon lattice

We study a two-dimensional (2D) diatomic lattice of anharmonic oscillators with only quartic nearest-neighbor interactions, in which discrete breathers (DBs) can be explicitly constructed by an exact separation of their time and space dependence. DBs can stably exist in the 2D discrete diatomic Klein--Gordon lattice with hard and soft on-site potentials. When a parametric driving term is introduced in the factor multiplying the harmonic part of the on-site potential of the system, we can obtain the stable quasiperiodic discrete breathers (QDBs) and chaotic discrete breathers (CDBs) by changing the amplitude of the driver. But the DBs and QDBs with symmetric and anti-symmetric profiles that are centered at a heavy atom are more stable than at a light atom, because the frequencies of the DBs and QDBs centered at a heavy atom are lower than those centered at a light atom.     

Discrete nonlinear Schrödinger breathers in a phonon bath

We study the dynamics of the discrete nonlinear Schr?dinger lattice initialized such that a very long transitory period of time in which standard Boltzmann statistics is insufficient is reached. Our study of the nonlinear system locked in this non-Gibbsian state focuses on the dynamics of discrete breathers (also called intrinsic localized modes). It is found that part of the energy spontaneously condenses into several discrete breathers. Although these discrete breathers are extremely long lived, their total number is found to decrease as the evolution progresses. Even though the total number of discrete breathers decreases we report the surprising observation that the energy content in the discrete breather population increases. We interpret these observations in the perspective of discrete breather creation and annihilation and find that the death of a discrete breather cause effective energy transfer to a spatially nearby discrete breather. It is found that the concepts of a multi-frequency discrete breather and of internal modes is crucial for this process. Finally, we find that the existence of a discrete breather tends to soften the lattice in its immediate neighborhood, resulting in high amplitude thermal fluctuation close to an existing discrete breather. This in turn nucleates discrete breather creation close to a already existing discrete breather. Received 21 January 1999 and Received in final form 20 September 1999     

Discrete breathers — Advances in theory and applications

Nonlinear classical Hamiltonian lattices exhibit generic solutions — discrete breathers. They are time-periodic and (typically exponentially) localized in space. The lattices have discrete translational symmetry. Discrete breathers are not confined to certain lattice dimensions. We will introduce the concept of these localized excitations and review their basic properties including dynamical and structural stability. We then focus on advances in the theory of discrete breathers in three directions — scattering of waves by these excitations, persistence of discrete breathers in long transient processes and thermal equilibrium, and their quantization. The second part of this review is devoted to a detailed discussion of recent experimental observations and studies of discrete breathers, including theoretical modelling of these experimental situations on the basis of the general theory of discrete breathers. In particular we will focus on their detection in Josephson junction networks, arrays of coupled nonlinear optical waveguides, Bose–Einstein condensates loaded on optical lattices, antiferromagnetic layered structures, PtCl based single crystals and driven micromechanical cantilever arrays.     

Is the Regge Calculus a Consistent Approximation to General Relativity?

We will ask the question of whether or not the Regge calculus (and two related simplicial formulations) is a consistent approximation to General Relativity. Our criteria will be based on the behaviour of residual errors in the discrete equations when evaluated on solutions of the Einstein equations. We will show that for generic simplicial lattices the residual errors cannot be used to distinguish metrics which are solutions of Einstein's equations from those that are not. We will conclude that either the Regge calculus is an inconsistent approximation to General Relativity or that it is incorrect to use residual errors in the discrete equations as a criteria to judge the discrete equations.