Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-vsgnj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-19T05:16:22.272Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Two-dimensional periodic permanent waves in shallow water

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2006

P. J. Bryant
Affiliation:
Mathematics Department, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract

When two periodic permanent wave trains on shallow water intersect obliquely, the regions of intersection are two-dimensional waves of permanent shape. This shape varies from a nearly linear superposition of the two wave trains at large angles of intersection between the wave normals, to a structure predominantly transverse to the direction of propagation at small angles of intersection. The latter shape is found to be governed by the two-dimensional Korteweg–de Vries (Kadomtsev–Petviashvili) equation. The two-dimensional permanent waves are stable to periodic disturbances parallel to their direction of propagation, but are unstable to certain oblique periodic disturbances.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1982 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Benney, D. J. & Luke, J. C. 1964 On the interactions of permanent waves of finite amplitude. J. Math. & Phys. 43, 309313.Google Scholar
Bryant, P. J. 1978 Oblique instability of periodic waves in shallow water. J. Fluid Mech. 86, 783792.Google Scholar
Johnson, R. S. 1980 Water waves and Korteweg — de Vries equations. J. Fluid Mech. 97, 701719.Google Scholar
Kadomtsev, B. B. & Petviashvili, V. I. 1970 On the stability of solitary waves in weakly dispersing media. Sov. Phys. Dokl. 15, 539541.Google Scholar
Krichever, I. M. & Novikov, S. P. 1978 Holomorphic bundles over Riemann surfaces and the Kadomtsev — Petviashvili equation. Func. Anal. Appl. 12, 276286.Google Scholar
Mclean, John W. 1982 Instabilities of finite-amplitude gravity waves on water of finite depth. J. Fluid Mech. 114, 331341.Google Scholar
Melville, W. K. 1980 On the Mach reflexion of a solitary wave. J. Fluid Mech. 98, 285297.Google Scholar
Miles, J. W. 1977a Obliquely interacting solitary waves. J. Fluid Mech. 79, 157169.Google Scholar
Miles, J. W. 1977b Resonantly interacting solitary waves. J. Fluid Mech. 79, 171179.Google Scholar
Miles, J. W. 1980 Solitary waves. Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech. 12, 1143.Google Scholar