Solitary Wave (Noun)
Meaning
(physics) a quantum of energy or quasiparticle that can be propagated as a traveling wave in nonlinear systems and is neither preceded nor followed by another such disturbance; does not obey the superposition principle and does not dissipate; "soliton waves can travel long distances with little loss of energy or structure".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural events.
Examples
- The Korteweg-de Vries equation has an exact solution for a solitary wave that maintains its shape and velocity over time.
- A soliton wave can be thought of as a quantum of energy or quasiparticle that can be propagated as a traveling wave in nonlinear systems.
- Solitary waves have the remarkable property that they can travel long distances with little loss of energy or structure, allowing them to be useful for optical communication systems.
- Researchers have been able to create and study solitary waves in various nonlinear media, including optical fibers, water, and plasmas.
- The discovery of soliton waves in the 1960s helped physicists understand the behavior of excited media, particularly optical fibers and certain types of cold quantum systems.