The Hidden Math of Ocean Waves Crashes Into View
15 hours ago
- #Fluid Dynamics
- #Mathematics
- #Wave Theory
- Alberto Maspero enjoys a beautiful view of the Adriatic Sea from his office in Trieste, Italy.
- The 'bora' wind in Trieste can reverse the direction of waves, making them retreat back to the sea.
- Euler's equations describe fluid flow but are notoriously difficult to solve, even for simple wave patterns.
- Mathematicians have struggled to prove why steady waves become unstable, a phenomenon known as Benjamin-Feir instability.
- Maspero, Ventura, Berti, and Corsi have provided a proof showing when wave instabilities occur.
- Recent computational tools and theoretical advances are transforming the mathematical understanding of waves.
- Stokes waves, once thought to be stable, can be disrupted by certain disturbances, as shown by Benjamin and Feir.
- Deconinck and Oliveras discovered that wave instabilities occur in alternating intervals of frequency, called 'isole'.
- Maspero's team collaborated with computer experts, including Doron Zeilberger, to prove the existence of these instabilities.
- The findings open new questions about why waves behave this way and how to apply these methods to other problems.