Solitary waves and conjugate flows in a three-layer fluid

Interfacial symmetric solitary waves propagating horizontally in a three-layer fluid with constant density of each layer are investigated. A fully nonlinear numerical scheme based on integral equations is presented. The method allows for steep and overhanging waves. Equations for three-layer conjugate flows and integral properties like mass, momentum and kinetic energy are derived in parallel. In three-layer fluids the wave amplitude becomes larger than in corresponding two-layer fluids where the thickness of a pycnocline is neglected, while the opposite is true for the propagation velocity. Waves of limiting form are particularly investigated. Extreme overhanging solitary waves of elevation are found in three-layer fluids with large density differences and a thick upper layer. Surprisingly we find that the limiting waves of depression are always broad and flat, satisfying the conjugate flow equations. Mode-two waves, obtained with a periodic version of the numerical method, are accompanied by a train of small mode-one waves. Large amplitude mode-two waves, obtained with the full method, are close to one of the conjugate flow solutions.