The role of multiple soliton and breather interactions in generation of rogue waves: the mKdV framework

TL;DR

This paper reveals how interactions of multiple solitons and breathers within the integrable mKdV equation can lead to rogue wave formation, highlighting a new nonlinear mechanism dependent on soliton polarities.

Contribution

It explicitly formulates conditions for soliton focusing, demonstrating a novel rogue wave generation mechanism not accounted for by existing theories.

Findings

Ordered soliton trains can focus into large transient waves.

The maximum wave amplitude equals the sum of individual soliton heights.

Soliton polarities critically influence rogue wave formation.

Abstract

The role of multiple soliton and breather interactions in formation of very high waves is disclosed within the framework of integrable modified Korteweg - de Vries (mKdV) equation. Optimal conditions for the focusing of many solitons are formulated explicitly. Namely, trains of ordered solitons with alternate polarities evolve to huge strongly localized transient waves. The focused wave amplitude is exactly the sum of the focusing soliton heights; the maximum wave inherits the polarity of the fastest soliton in the train. The focusing of several solitary waves or/and breathers may naturally occur in a soliton gas and will lead to rogue-wave-type dynamics; hence it represents a new nonlinear mechanism of rogue wave generation. The discovered scenario depends crucially on the soliton polarities (phases), and thus cannot be taken into account by existing kinetic theories. The performance of the soliton mechanism of rogue wave generation is shown for the example of focusing mKdV equation, when solitons possess 'frozen' phases (polarities), though the approach works in other integrable systems which admit soliton and breather solutions.