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V. E. Zakharov
Zhurnal Prildadnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 86-94, 1968
ABSTRACT: We study the stability of steady nonlinear waves on the surface The first term in this expression is the kinetic energy and the
of an infinitely deep fluid [1, 2]. In section 1, the equations of hydro- second and third terms are the potential energy in the field of gravity
dynamics for an ideal fluid with a free surface are transformed to and the potential energy due to surface forces. We introduce thequan-
canonical variables: the shape of the surface ~(r, t) and the hydrody- tity 9(r, t) = ~(z, r, t) i z=~" Specifying the quantities ~ and g, fuIIy
namic potential ~(r, t) at the surface are expressed in terms of these defines the fluid finw since the boundary-value problem for Laplace's
variables. By introducing canonical variables, we can consider the equation has a unique solution. Using the equation
problem of the stability of surface waves as part of the more general
o,e o~v on o*
problem of nonlinear waves in media with dispersion [g, 4]. The re-
Ot - - Ot ~ Ot Oz z=n'
sults of the rest of the paper are also easily applicable to the general
case. we obtain
In section 2, using a method similar to van der Pohi's method, we i)T V+]
obtain simplified equations describing nonlinear waves in the small ot 4-,~,~--~V ~ ],',1 + V+l
amplitude approximation. These equations are particularly simple if l I { o o ~2 oqS (1.5)
2 (V(D)+++ 7 \-0-}-) -- ~ - z ( v(D V~)I==~.
we assume that the wave packet is narrow. The equations have an
exact solution which approximates a periodic wave of finiteamplitude. Equations (1.2) and (1.5). together with Laplace's equation, are
equivalent to Eqs. (1.1)-(1.3). We can prove that Eqs. (1.1) and (1.8)
In section 3 we investigate the instability of periodic waves of finite
can be put in the form
amplitude. Instabilities of two types are found. The first type of in-
stability is destructiveinstability, similar to the destructive instability 07 8E 0iF 5E
of waves in a plasma [g, 6]. In this type of instability, a pair of waves ot--5~ ' ot - - - - T ~ - " (1.6)
is simultaneously excited, the sum of the frequencies of which is a
Here E is the energy; the symbols 6E/6~ and 5E/69 denote the
multiple of the frequency of the original wave. The most rapid de-
variational derivative.
structive instability occurs for capillary waves and the slowest for
Consider first the variation of g~. Obviously., the variation of the
gravitational waves. The second type of instability is the negative-
potential energy is zero. We transform the kinetic energy by means
pressure type, which arises because of the dependence of the nonlinear
of Green's formula:
wave velocity on the amplitude; this results in an unbounded increase
in the percentage modulation of the wave. This type of instability
occurs for nonlinear waves through any media in which the sign of ., _ = T ~ "I" - N - +~= - -
the second derivative in the dispersion law with respect to the wave -co s
number (d2~/dk 2) is different from the sign of the frequency shift due t (' ~F 0el)
to the nonlinearity.
8
8(I3 ds
lil ~ 17 X ~ (k -- kl -- k~ -- k s t d k dk~ dk2 dk~,
(1.ii)
(k, z) = e Iklz { ~ (k) -[- ! ~F (k~) "q (kz) I k~ I ~ (k -- k~ -- k2) dkldks - - • [Lw(k~)(o(ka)J (21k}-[ 2 [ k l i - - l k - - k 2 1 - -
t
--~-I[] k --k~,+lk--k2]--,kl) X - - I k - - ka [ - - ] k , - - k2 [ -- [ k l - - ks [) +
• Ia I~ (ka n (k._,)
~ (k~)~ (k -- kl--k~-- k~)]dk,dk~k~}. (i.8) + L (o (k) o) (k~)j (21k2]+2[k3[--
Here 6 denotes the delta function.
If we linearize (1.2) and (1.5) and consider onIy the first term in --]k--k2[--[k--ks] --lkr--k2l--Ikl--k:.~ I)-
(1.8), we obtain the theory of small oscillations for the surface of a
o (kl) to (k~)] 5'
fluid, which describes the propagation of waves with dispersion law ~)( ~ (-k~3)j ( 2 l k x l + 2 ] k : [ - -
i ~ ~o'I~ (k)
W~ (k) ~o(k~)l'/: I k2 + ks I '
-- Lco (kl) r9 (k2)j (--' --
~F (r, t) --= 2~ ]/'2 ,) ~ [a (k) eitkr) -- a* (k) e-i(kr)] dk. (1.97
-}- 2 [ k [-}- 2 1k~ 1-- 1 k - - kl [ - - I k - - ks ] - - [ k - b k2 I)--
Then
~-o (kl) co (ka)t G
1 Ik] 5' - - [ ~ ) J (21k'l+2lkal--
n(k)-- V2 mV*(k) [a (k) + a* (-- k)],
i o% (k) -- [k2+ksl--lk--k3l--lk--ksl--!kl+k~i) }. (1.13)
W(k)=-- ]/=g [ k l,/ - [a (k) _ a* ( _ k)] . (1.10)
There are other fourth-order terms in a, proportional to products of
Transformation (1.9) can be considered a canonical transformation the form a*aaa and aaaa and terms conjugate to them. These are ig-
(with c o m p l e x coefficients) to the variables ia*(k) and a(k); Hamilton's nored, since, as will be shown in section 3, their conuibution is small.
equation (1.8) becomes the single equation We note that the functions V and W obey the follovdng equations:
Oa (k) 5E V(k, kl, k s ) = V(k, k~, k 0 = V (ks, kl, k),
Ot __-- i Sa, (k) .
V (-- k, - - k l , -- k2) = V(k, kl, k_o),
Using (1.4), (1.8), and (1.10), we can express the energy in the
form of a series in powers of a(k) and a*(k): W ( k , kl, k~, ks)~---W (kl, k, k2, k 3 ) =
(z.14)
E=I~o(k) a(k)a*(k)dk-bf[V(--k, k,, k 2 ) x = W (k, kl, ks, k 2 ) = W (k2, ks, k, k O,
-r- ~- (k, k~, k2) [a* (k) a* (k~) a* (k~) + a (k) a (k~) a (k~)l X
=--i~{V(--k, kl, k : ) a ( k l ) h ( k ~ ) 6 ( k - - k ~ - - k ~ ) +
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+ 2V (-- k~, k, k2) a* (k~.) a (k~) 6 (k -- k @ k~) + If w(k) is a m o n o t o n i c function, we note that a sufficient condition
for the e x i s t e n c e of a solution to (2.5) is
+ V (k, kl, k.~) a* (k~) a* (k~) •
(k) > m (kz) + E0 (k -- kl), (2.6)
X 6 (k @ k l " k~)} dkldk2 --
where k and k I are in the d i r e c t i o n of the same straight line. Indeed,
- - i t W ( k , kl, ke, ka) 5 ( k @ k l - - k 2 - - k a ) X if (2.6) holds, by adding to k t components perpendicular to k, we
can increase the right-hand side o f ( 2 . 6 ) a n d convert (2.6) into
X a* (k~) a (k~) a (ka) dk~ dk~ dka 9 (3..25) an equation. On the other hand, if the i n e q u a l i t y _converse to (2.6)
holds, this is a sufficient condition for the absence of solutions to (2.5).
We seal from (L1.5) that the variables a(k) are the n o r m a l variables
For g r a v i t a t i o n a l waves, with the dispersion law
in the problem of s m a l l oscillations.
2. S i m p l i f i e d equations. Equation (1..15) is an a p p r o x i m a t i o n and co(k)=Vglkl ,
is valid for s m a l l n o n l i n e a r i t i e s , roughly speaking, for a / X << 1, where
a is the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a m p l i t u d e of the wave and X is a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c an i n e q u a l i t y converse to (2.6) holds. Accordingly, (2.5) cannot have
w a v e l e n g t h . In this a p p r o x i m a t i o n , we can m a k e a considerable s i m - any solutions and for s m a l l a/,X (2.3) applies. For c a p i l l a r y waves
p l i f i c a t i o n in Eq. (1..12). To do this we write a(k) as [k >> (g/a)1/2], with dispersion law ~o(k) = a ~ , (2.6) holds, so that
(2.3), in general, cannot be used; if it is assumed that the w a v e p a c k e t
a (k) - : [A (k, t) 4- t (k, t)] exp [-- io (k) t]. (2.1) is sufficiently narrow, i.e., if a(k) is nonzero for t k - ko i << k0, Eq.
We assume that A(k, t) changes slowly in comparison with f, (2.5) cannot be satisfied for any co(k), ttence, assuming the w a v e p a c k e t
where ae << A. We substitute a(k), in the form of (2.1), into the equa- is narrow, Eq. (2.6) is a p p l i c a b l e for any dispersion laws, in particular,
tion for f and the one for A. In the equation for ac we r e t a i n only terms for c a p i l l a r y waves.
Assuming the wave p a c k e t is narrow, we can m a k e a further sim-
which are q u a d r a t i c in k. Assuming A constant as ac varies, we inte-
p l i f i c a t i o n in Eq. (2.3). We Introduce the v a r i a b l e z = k -- k0 and
grate this equation with respect to t i m e . This yields
expand co(k) in powers of ~ to terms of second order:
+ 2 V ( - - k : t , k, k2) e x p i t [ ~ 4-~176 X Here ~ x and ~ v are the projections of the vector w- both p a r a l l e l
co (k) 4- m (kl) - - t0 (k2) --
and perpendicular to the vector k0; e is the group v e l o c i t y of t h e w a v e s ;
X 6(k [-kl--k~)A*(k~)A(k~)+ ka_ is an eigenvector of the tensor DaB. Next we r e p l a c e the approxi-
m a t i o n T(k, kz, kz, k3) by w = T(ko, k0, k0, k0) and introduce the v a r i a b l e
+ V (k, k~, k ) _exp it [o (k) 4- o (kl) 4- o (k~)l •
co (k) + ~ (M) 4- ~o ( k ) b (k) = :1 (k) exp i [ z c -k i/., ()~ ',i• ~"-'- Lixve)] t ,
Ob
X 6 (k 4- k l 4- k~) A* (kl) A* (kQ} dkldk~. (2 02) =OZ 4- i (zxc 4- '%L !1• ~ + ~/~)'• b=
In the equation for k we r e t a i n only those terms proportional to = - - iw i b* (k) b (k._.) b (k:l) 6 (k -I- lq - - k~ -- ka) dkl [k~dka . (2.7)
A f which contain the most slowly varying exponents. Obviously, all We note that X• is always positive, while xll vanishes for k0 = k~:
the slowly varying exponents are contained in those terms proportional
to A*AA. Gathering a l l these terms together, we obtain 9= I 2 V-~/. % g %
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C a l c u l a t i o n yields Consider first the case
r ~ >~176 (3.8)
the frequency d i s p l a c e m e n t b e c o m e s i n f i n i t e ; for l a r g e k , it is n e g a t i v e .
In the l i m i t , as k ~ ~o we h a v e
(a sufficient c o n d i t i o n ) , w h e r e the vectors k~ and k2 are p a r a l l e l to the
t same straight line. I n e q u a l i t y (3.8) is the r e q u i r e m e n t that co(k) be
(k) = - - -iV (/~ay- ~ (/0. c o n v e x upwards. For g r a v i t a t i o n a l waves,
q=*/~i'r~-ylbo[eU~-(--ko, k, k o - - k ) - - * / G ~ . (3.4)
Instability w i l l occur i f the expression under the square-root sign Then for co we have
is positive. In order that t h e r e should be i n s t a b i l i t y for arbitrarily sinai1
b0, the e q u a t i o n ~ = 0 should h a v e a solution. If we n e g l e c t the s m a l l
~o=! g~otb0t~,<0~+li,>,~<~ . (3.9)
term a(k0) in this equation, we arrive at the system of equations (2.5).
As was established in section 2, this system can be solved for c a p i l l a r y We see from (3.9) that instability is possible if w,k < 0, i n s t a b i l i t i e s
waves; thus, instability of this type occurs for c a p i l l a r y waves. Un- only being e x c i t e d for sufficiently sinai1 wave vectors
stable wave vectors are c o n c e n t r a t e d near the surface co(k) = w(k 0 +
+ co(k -- k,) in a layer of thickness proportional to the a m p l i t u d e . The ~w
~~ < ~ - - l b0 [3 .
m a x i m u m i n c r e m e n t in the i n s t a b i l i t y is of order Req ~ (ka) co(k).
This type of i n s t a b i l i t y is impossible for g r a v i t a t i o n a l waves. How- We consider the ease of different wave numbers for the surface
ever, for these waves slower i n s t a b i l i t i e s are possible. We use Eq. (2.3) waves.
and substitute into it A(R) in the form 1. In the region of wave numbers
This equation can be reduced to an equation of form (3.2); it has and its asymptotes.
a solution proportional to e qt, where, for q, we have 2. In the d o m a i n
q = ~ / ,2i6 +_ V'ibo ["T ~"(k, 2ko -- k, ko, ko)'-'-- t / ~':~,
]/ VG- I (g / ~)',' <1~o < I / / : 2 (g / ~)',,,
6 = o (k) + o (2ko - - k) - - 20 (ko) -l- 2 [ bo p~[T (k, ko, ko, k) -~-
+ T (2k o - - k , ko, ko, 2 k o - - k) - - T (ko, ko, ko, ko) . (3.5) where ,k_k > 0, kl] > 0, and w > 0, i m t a b i l i t y , in g e n e r a l , is impossible.
193
3. In the domain of capillary waves turbations increase exponentiatIy as
194