This paper presents a comprehensive study related to the connection between thermalization of cubic nonlinear lattices with nearest-neighbor coupling and the structure of the mixing tensor that arises due to the presence of nonlinearities. The approach is based on rewriting the underlying lattice system as a nonlinear evolution equation governing the dynamics of the modal amplitudes (or projection coefficients). In this formulation, the linear coupling become diagonalizable, whereas all cubic nonlinear terms transform into a combinatorial sum over a product of three modal amplitudes weighted by a fourth-order mixing tensor. The exact structure of several mixing tensors (corresponding to different types of cubic nonlinearities) is found, and their symmetry properties are connected with thermalization or lack thereof. Furthermore, we have observed through direct numerical simulations that the modal occupancies of lattices preserving these tensorial symmetries approach a Rayleigh-Jeans distribution at thermal equilibrium. In addition, we provided few examples that indicate that cubic lattices with broken tensorial symmetries end up not equilibrating to a Rayleigh-Jeans distribution. Finally, an inverse approach to the study of thermalization of cubic nonlinear lattices is developed. The idea is to establish a trade-off between the type of nonlinearities in local base and their respective interactions in supermode base. With this at hand, we were able to identify a large class of nonlinear lattices that are embedded in the modal space and admit a simple form that can be used to shed more light on the role that localization of the supermodes plays in thermalization processes.

Wave transformation is an intrinsic dynamic process in coastal areas. An essential part of this process is the variation of water depth, which plays a dominant role in the propagation features of water waves, including a change in wave amplitude during shoaling and de-shoaling, breaking, celerity variation, refraction and diffraction processes. Fundamental theoretical studies have revolved around the development of analytical frameworks to accurately describe such shoaling processes and wave group hydrodynamics in the transition between deep- and shallow-water conditions since the 1970s. Very recent pioneering experimental studies in state-of-the-art water wave facilities provided proof of concept validations and improved understanding of the formed extreme waves’ physical characteristics and statistics in variable water depth. This review recaps the related most significant theoretical developments and groundbreaking experimental advances, which have particularly thrived over the last decade.

We study dynamics, structure and organization of the new paradigm of wavewrinkle structures associated with multipulse laser-induced RayleighTaylor (RT) instability in the plane of a target surface in the circumferential zone (C-zone) of the spot. Irregular target surface, variation of the fluid layer thickness and of the fluid velocity affect the nonlinearity and dispersion. The fluid layer inhomogeneity establishes local domains arranged (organized) in the «domain network». The traveling wavewrinkles become solitary waves and latter on become transformed into stationary soliton wavewrinkle patterns. Their morphology varies in the radial direction ofaussian-like spot ranging from the compacton-like solitons to the aperiodic rectangular waves (with rounded top surface) and to the periodic ones. These wavewrinkles may be successfully juxtapositioned with the exact solution of the nonlinear differential equations formulated in the KadomtsevPetviashvili sense taking into account the fluid conditions in particular domain. The cooling wave that starts at the periphery by the end of the pulse causes sudden increase of density and surface tension: the wavewrinkle structures become unstable what causes their break-up. The onset of solidification causes formation of an elastic sheet which starts to shrink generating lateral tension on the wavewrinkles. The focusing of energy at the constrained boundary causes the formation of wrinklons as the new elementary excitation of the elastic sheets.

A second-order nonlinear frequency-domain model extending the linear complementary mild-slope equation (CMSE) is presented. The nonlinear model uses the same streamfunction formulation as the CMSE. This allows the vertical profile assumption to accurately satisfy the kinematic bottom boundary condition in the case of nonlinear triad interactions as well as for the linear refraction–diffraction part. The result is a model with higher accuracy of wave–bottom interactions including wave–wave interaction. The model's validity is confirmed by comparison with accurate numerical models, laboratory experiments over submerged obstacles and analytical perturbation solutions for class III Bragg resonance.