Although the mathematical theory of nonlinear waves and solitons has made great progress, its applications to concrete physical problems are rather poor, especially when compared with the classical theory of linear dispersive waves and nonlinear fluid motion. The Whitham method, which describes the combining action of the dispersive and nonlinear effects as modulations of periodic waves, is not widely used by applied mathematicians and physicists, though it provides a direct and natural way to treat various problems in nonlinear wave theory. Therefore it is topical to describe recent developments of the Whitham theory in a clear and simple form suitable for applications in various branches of physics.This book develops the techniques of the theory of nonlinear periodic waves at elementary level and in great pedagogical detail. It provides an introduction to a Whitham's theory of modulation in a form suitable for applications. The exposition is based on a thorough analysis of representative examples taken from fluid mechanics, nonlinear optics and plasma physics rather than on the formulation and study of a mathematical theory. Much attention is paid to physical motivations of the mathematical methods developed in the book. The main applications considered include the theory of collisionless shock waves in dispersive systems and the nonlinear theory of soliton formation in modulationally unstable systems. Exercises are provided to amplify the discussion of important topics such as singular perturbation theory, Riemann invariants, the finite gap integration method, and Whitham equations and their solutions.

Although the mathematical theory of nonlinear waves and solitons has made great progress, its applications to concrete physical problems are rather poor, especially when compared with the classical theory of linear dispersive waves and nonlinear fluid motion. The Whitham method, which describes the combining action of the dispersive and nonlinear effects as modulations of periodic waves, is not widely used by applied mathematicians and physicists, though it provides a direct and natural way to treat various problems in nonlinear wave theory. Therefore it is topical to describe recent developments of the Whitham theory in a clear and simple form suitable for applications in various branches of physics.This book develops the techniques of the theory of nonlinear periodic waves at elementary level and in great pedagogical detail. It provides an introduction to a Whitham's theory of modulation in a form suitable for applications. The exposition is based on a thorough analysis of representative examples taken from fluid mechanics, nonlinear optics and plasma physics rather than on the formulation and study of a mathematical theory. Much attention is paid to physical motivations of the mathematical methods developed in the book. The main applications considered include the theory of collisionless shock waves in dispersive systems and the nonlinear theory of soliton formation in modulationally unstable systems. Exercises are provided to amplify the discussion of important topics such as singular perturbation theory, Riemann invariants, the finite gap integration method, and Whitham equations and their solutions.

Bridges studies the origin of Korteweg-de Vries equation using phase modulation and its implications in dynamical systems and nonlinear waves.

Big Nate is the star goalie of his school's soccer team, and he is tasked with defending his goal and saving the day against Jefferson Middle School, their archrival.

This symposium brought together mechanicians, physicists and applied mathematicians to discuss the interdisciplinary topic of nonlinear wave motion, which displays effects that give rise to a multitude of unanswered questions. Nonlinear waves in fluids in particular display all the prominent nonlinear phenomena such as chaos, turbulence and pattern formation. Amongst the topics emphasized in these proceedings are: travelling fronts, solitary waves and periodic waves (dissipative and conservative); temporal and spatial asymptotics of perturbations of waves; bifurcations, stability and local dynamics of waves; interaction between different waves, and between waves and the mean flow; wave breaking, nonlinear effects on focussing and diffraction; modulation and envelope equations (their derivation and validity); and numerical and experimental results.

Waves and defect modes in structures media.- Piezoelectric superlattices and shunted periodic arrays as tunable periodic structures and metamaterials.- Topology optimization.- Map-based approaches for periodic structures.- Methodologies for nonlinear periodic media.​ The contributions in this volume present both the theoretical background and an overview of the state-of-the art in wave propagation in linear and nonlinear periodic media in a consistent format. They combine the material issued from a variety of engineering applications, spanning a wide range of length scale, characterized by structures and materials, both man-made and naturally occurring, featuring geometry, micro-structural and/or materials properties that vary periodically in space, including periodically stiffened plates, shells and beam-like as well as bladed disc assemblies, phononic metamaterials, photonic crystals and ordered granular media. Along with linear models and applications, analytical methodologies for analyzing and exploiting complex dynamical phenomena arising in nonlinear periodic systems are also presented.​

This book brings together a comprehensive account of major developments in the theory and applications of nonlinear dispersive waves, nonlinear water waves, KdV and nonlinear Schrodinger equations, Davey-Stewartson equation, Benjamin-Ono equation and nonlinear instability phenomena. In order to give the book a wider readership, chapters have been written by internationally known researchers who have made significant contributions to nonlinear waves and nonlinear instability. This volume will be invaluable to applied mathematicians, physicists, geophysicists, oceanographers, engineering scientists, and to anyone interested in nonlinear dynamics.