Triads and Rogue Events for Internal Waves in Stratified Fluids with a Constant Buoyancy Frequency

Abstract

Internal waves in a stratified fluid with a constant buoyancy frequency were studied, with special attention given to rogue modes, extreme waves, dynamical evolution, and Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou type recurrence phenomena. Rogue waves for triads in a general physical setting have recently been derived analytically, but the implications in a fluid mechanics context have not yet been fully assessed. Numerical simulations were conducted for cases of coupled triads where the common member is a daughter wave mode. In sharp contrast with previous studies, rogue modes instead of plane waves were used as the initial condition. Furthermore, spatial dependence was incorporated. Rogue or extreme waves in one set of triads provided a possible mechanism for significant energy transfer among modes of the internal wave spectrum, in addition to the other known theories, e.g., weak turbulence. Remarkably, Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou recurrence types of growth and decay cycles arose, similar to those observed for surface gravity wave groups governed by the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. These mechanisms will enhance our understanding of transport processes in oceans.

Keywords

• coupled triads
• rogue waves
• energy transfer