Observation of strongly non-Gaussian statistics for random sea surface gravity waves in wave flume experiments

Statistics of Extreme Events in Integrable Turbulence

We use the spectral kinetic theory of soliton gas to investigate the likelihood of extreme events in integrable turbulence described by the one-dimensional focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation (fNLSE). This is done by invoking a stochastic interpretation of the inverse scattering transform for fNLSE and analytically evaluating the kurtosis of the emerging random nonlinear wave field in terms of the spectral density of states of the corresponding soliton gas. We then apply the general result to two fundamental scenarios of the generation of integrable turbulence: (i) the asymptotic development of the spontaneous modulational instability of a plane wave, and (ii) the long-time evolution of strongly nonlinear, partially coherent waves. In both cases, involving the bound state soliton gas dynamics, the analytically obtained values of the kurtosis are in perfect agreement with those inferred from direct numerical simulations of the fNLSE, providing the long-awaited theoretical explanation of the respective rogue wave statistics. Additionally, the evolution of a particular nonbound state gas is considered, providing important insights related to the validity of the so-called virial theorem.

Different routes to large-intensity pulses in Zeeman laser model

In this study, we report a rich variety of large-intensity pulses exhibited by a Zeeman laser model. The instabilities in the system occur via three different dynamical processes, such as quasiperiodic intermittency, Pomeau-Manneville intermittency, and the breakdown of quasiperiodic motion to chaos followed by an interior crisis. This Zeeman laser model is more capable of exploring the major possible types of instabilities when changing a specific system's parameter in a particular range. We exemplified distinct dynamical transitions of the Zeeman laser model. The statistical measures reveal the appearance of the low probability of large-intensity pulses above the qualifier threshold value. Moreover, they seem to follow an exponential decay that shows a Poisson-like distribution. The impact of noise and time delay effects have been analyzed near the transition point of the system.

The Influence of Characteristic Sea State Parameters on the Accuracy of Irregular Wave Field Simulations of Different Complexity

The accurate description of the complex genesis and evolution of ocean waves, as well as the associated kinematics and dynamics is indispensable for the design of offshore structures and the assessment of marine operations. In the majority of cases, the water-wave problem is reduced to potential flow theory on a somehow simplified level. However, the nonlinear terms in the surface boundary conditions and the fact that they must be fulfilled on the unknown water surface make the boundary value problem considerably complex. Hereby, the contrary objectives with respect to a very accurate representation of reality and numerical efficiency must be balanced wisely. This paper investigates the influence of characteristic sea state parameters on the accuracy of irregular wave field simulations of different complexity. For this purpose, the high-order spectral method was applied and the underlying Taylor series expansion was truncated at different orders so that numerical simulations of different complexity can be investigated. It is shown that, for specific characteristic sea state parameters, the boundary value problem can be significantly reduced while providing sufficient accuracy.

Analysis of Dangerous Sea States in the Northwestern Mediterranean Area

Extreme sea waves, although rare, can be notably dangerous when associated with energetic sea states and can generate risks for the navigation. In the last few years, they have been the object of extensive research from the scientific community that helped with understanding the main physical aspects; however, the estimate of extreme waves probability in operational forecasts is still debated. In this study, we analyzed a number of sea-states that occurred in a precise area of the Mediterranean sea, near the location of a reported accident, with the objective of relating the probability of extreme events with different sea state conditions. For this purpose, we performed phase-resolving simulations of wave spectra obtained from a WaveWatch III hindcast, using a Higher Order Spectral Method. We produced statistics of the sea-surface elevation field, calculating crest distributions and the probability of extreme events from the analysis of a long time-series of the surface elevation. We found a good matching between the distributions of the numerically simulated field and theory, namely Tayfun second- and third- order ones, in contrast with a significant underestimate given by the Rayleigh distribution. We then related spectral quantities like angular spreading and wave steepness to the probability of occurrence of extreme events finding an enhanced probability for high mean steepness seas and narrow spectra, in accordance with literature results, finding also that the case study of the reported accident was not amongst the most dangerous. Finally, we related the skewness and kurtosis of the surface elevation to the wave steepness to explain the discrepancy between theoretical and numerical distributions.

Extreme rogue wave generation from narrowband partially coherent waves

In the framework of the focusing one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation, we study numerically the integrable turbulence developing from partially coherent waves (PCW), which represent superposition of uncorrelated linear waves. The long-time evolution from these initial conditions is characterized by emergence of rogue waves with heavy-tailed (non-Gaussian) statistics, and, as was established previously, the stronger deviation from Gaussianity (i.e., the higher frequency of rogue waves) is observed for narrower initial spectrum. We investigate the fundamental limiting case of very narrow initial spectrum and find that shortly after the beginning of motion the turbulence enters a quasistationary state (QSS), which is characterized by a very slow evolution of statistics and lasts for a very long time before arrival at the asymptotic stationary state. In the beginning of the QSS, the probability density function (PDF) of intensity turns out to be nearly independent of the initial spectrum and is very well approximated by a certain Bessel function that represents an integral of the product of two exponential distributions. The PDF corresponds to the maximum possible stationary value of the fourth-order moment of amplitude κ_{4}=4 and yields a probability to meet intensity above the rogue wave threshold that is higher by 1.5 orders of magnitude than that for a random superposition of linear waves. We routinely observe rogue waves with amplitudes ten times larger than the average one, and all of the largest waves that we have studied are very well approximated by the amplitude-scaled rational breather solutions of either the first (Peregrine breather) or the second orders.

Effect of local Peregrine soliton emergence on statistics of random waves in the one-dimensional focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation

The Peregrine soliton is often considered as a prototype of rogue waves. After recent advances in the semiclassical limit of the one-dimensional focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation [M. Bertola and A. Tovbis, Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 66, 678 (2013)0010-364010.1002/cpa.21445] this conjecture can be seen from another perspective. In the present paper, connecting deterministic and statistical approaches, we numerically demonstrate the effect of the universal local emergence of Peregrine solitons on the evolution of statistical properties of random waves. Evidence of this effect is found in recent experimental studies in the contexts of fiber optics and hydrodynamics. The present approach can serve as a powerful tool for the description of the transient dynamics of random waves and provide new insights into the problem of the rogue waves formation.

Early stage of integrable turbulence in the one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation: A semiclassical approach to statistics

We examine statistical properties of integrable turbulence in the defocusing and focusing regimes of one-dimensional small-dispersion nonlinear Schrödinger equation (1D-NLSE). Specifically, we study the 1D-NLSE evolution of partially coherent waves having Gaussian statistics at time t=0. Using short time asymptotic expansions and taking advantage of the scale separation in the semiclassical regime we obtain a simple explicit formula describing an early stage of the evolution of the fourth moment of the random wave field amplitude, a quantitative measure of the "tailedness" of the probability density function. Our results show excellent agreement with numerical simulations of the full 1D-NLSE random field dynamics and provide insight into the emergence of the well-known phenomenon of heavy (respectively, low) tails of the statistical distribution occurring in the focusing (respectively, defocusing) regime of 1D-NLSE.

The Velocity Field Underneath a Breaking Rogue Wave: Laboratory Experiments Versus Numerical Simulations

Wave breaking is the most characteristic feature of the ocean surface. Physical investigations (in the field and at laboratory scale) and numerical simulations have studied the driving mechanisms that lead to wave breaking and its effects on hydrodynamic loads on marine structures. Despite computational advances, accurate numerical simulations of the complex breaking process remain challenging. Validation of numerical codes is routinely performed against experimental observations of the surface elevation. However, it is still uncertain whether simulations can accurately reproduce the velocity field under breaking waves due to the lack of ad-hoc measurements. In the present work, the velocity field recorded with a Particle Image Velocimetry method during experiments conducted in a unidirectional wave tank is directly compared to the results of a corresponding numerical simulation performed with a Navier–Stokes (NS) solver. It is found that simulations underpredict the velocity close to the wave crest compared to measurements. Higher resolutions seem necessary in order to capture the most relevant details of the flow.

Intermittent large deviation of chaotic trajectory in Ikeda map: Signature of extreme events

We notice signatures of extreme eventslike behavior in a laser based Ikeda map. The trajectory of the system occasionally travels a large distance away from the bounded chaotic region, which appears as intermittent spiking events in the temporal dynamics. The large spiking events satisfy the conditions of extreme events as usually observed in dynamical systems. The probability density function of the large spiking events shows a long-tail distribution consistent with the characteristics of rare events. The interevent intervals obey a Poissonlike distribution. We locate the parameter regions of extreme events in phase diagrams. Furthermore, we study two Ikeda maps to explore how and when extreme events terminate via mutual interaction. A pure diffusion of information exchange is unable to terminate extreme events where synchronous occurrence of extreme events is only possible even for large interaction. On the other hand, a threshold-activated coupling can terminate extreme events above a critical value of mutual interaction.

Generation of Wave Groups by Shear Layer Instability

The linear stability theory of wind-wave generation is revisited with an emphasis on the generation of wave groups. The outcome is the fundamental requirement that the group move with a real-valued group velocity. This implies that both the wave frequency and the wavenumber should be complex-valued, and in turn this then leads to a growth rate in the reference frame moving with the group velocity which is in general different from the temporal growth rate. In the weakly nonlinear regime, the amplitude envelope of the wave group is governed by a forced nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The effect of the wind forcing term is to enhance modulation instability both in terms of the wave growth and in terms of the domain of instability in the modulation wavenumber space. Also, the soliton solution for the wave envelope grows in amplitude at twice the linear growth rate.

Predicting ocean rogue waves from point measurements: An experimental study for unidirectional waves

Rogue waves are strong localizations of the wave field that can develop in different branches of physics and engineering, such as water or electromagnetic waves. Here, we experimentally quantify the prediction potentials of a comprehensive rogue-wave reduced-order precursor tool that has been recently developed to predict extreme events due to spatially localized modulation instability. The laboratory tests have been conducted in two different water wave facilities and they involve unidirectional water waves; in both cases we show that the deterministic and spontaneous emergence of extreme events is well predicted through the reported scheme. Due to the interdisciplinary character of the approach, similar studies may be motivated in other nonlinear dispersive media, such as nonlinear optics, plasma, and solids, governed by similar equations, allowing the early stage of extreme wave detection.

Rogue waves and large deviations in deep sea

The appearance of rogue waves in deep sea is investigated by using the modified nonlinear Schrödinger (MNLS) equation in one spatial dimension with random initial conditions that are assumed to be normally distributed, with a spectrum approximating realistic conditions of a unidirectional sea state. It is shown that one can use the incomplete information contained in this spectrum as prior and supplement this information with the MNLS dynamics to reliably estimate the probability distribution of the sea surface elevation far in the tail at later times. Our results indicate that rogue waves occur when the system hits unlikely pockets of wave configurations that trigger large disturbances of the surface height. The rogue wave precursors in these pockets are wave patterns of regular height, but with a very specific shape that is identified explicitly, thereby allowing for early detection. The method proposed here combines Monte Carlo sampling with tools from large deviations theory that reduce the calculation of the most likely rogue wave precursors to an optimization problem that can be solved efficiently. This approach is transferable to other problems in which the system's governing equations contain random initial conditions and/or parameters.

Spontaneous emergence of rogue waves in partially coherent waves: A quantitative experimental comparison between hydrodynamics and optics

Rogue waves are extreme and rare fluctuations of the wave field that have been discussed in many physical systems. Their presence substantially influences the statistical properties of a partially coherent wave field, i.e., a wave field characterized by a finite band spectrum with random Fourier phases. Their understanding is fundamental for the design of ships and offshore platforms. In many meteorological conditions waves in the ocean are characterized by the so-called Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) spectrum. Here we compare two unique experimental results: the first one has been performed in a 270 m wave tank and the other in optical fibers. In both cases, waves characterized by a JONSWAP spectrum and random Fourier phases have been launched at the input of the experimental device. The quantitative comparison, based on an appropriate scaling of the two experiments, shows a very good agreement between the statistics in hydrodynamics and optics. Spontaneous emergence of heavy tails in the probability density function of the wave amplitude is observed in both systems. The results demonstrate the universal features of rogue waves and provide a fundamental and explicit bridge between two important fields of research. Numerical simulations are also compared with experimental results.

Extreme events in the forced Liénard system

We observe extremely large amplitude intermittent spikings in a dynamical variable of a periodically forced Liénard-type oscillator and characterize them as extreme events, which are rare, but recurrent and larger in amplitude than a threshold. The extreme events occur via two processes, an interior crisis and intermittency. The probability of occurrence of the events shows a long-tail distribution in both the cases. We provide evidence of the extreme events in an experiment using an electronic analog circuit of the Liénard oscillator that shows good agreement with our numerical results.

Real-time measurements of spontaneous breathers and rogue wave events in optical fibre modulation instability

Modulation instability is a fundamental process of nonlinear science, leading to the unstable breakup of a constant amplitude solution of a physical system. There has been particular interest in studying modulation instability in the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation, a generic model for a host of nonlinear systems including superfluids, fibre optics, plasmas and Bose–Einstein condensates. Modulation instability is also a significant area of study in the context of understanding the emergence of high amplitude events that satisfy rogue wave statistical criteria. Here, exploiting advances in ultrafast optical metrology, we perform real-time measurements in an optical fibre system of the unstable breakup of a continuous wave field, simultaneously characterizing emergent modulation instability breather pulses and their associated statistics. Our results allow quantitative comparison between experiment, modelling and theory, and are expected to open new perspectives on studies of instability dynamics in physics.

Low amplitude noise on an otherwise constant-intensity wave can grow exponentially and induce nonlinear dynamical behaviour. Here, the authors present time-domain measurements of a phenomenon arising from such modulation instability: the emergence of highly localised breathers in an optical fibre.

Single-shot observation of optical rogue waves in integrable turbulence using time microscopy

Optical fibres are favourable tabletop laboratories to investigate both coherent and incoherent nonlinear waves. In particular, exact solutions of the one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation such as fundamental solitons or solitons on finite background can be generated by launching periodic, specifically designed coherent waves in optical fibres. It is an open fundamental question to know whether these coherent structures can emerge from the nonlinear propagation of random waves. However the typical sub-picosecond timescale prevented—up to now—time-resolved observations of the awaited dynamics. Here, we report temporal ‘snapshots' of random light using a specially designed ‘time-microscope'. Ultrafast structures having peak powers much larger than the average optical power are generated from the propagation of partially coherent waves in optical fibre and are recorded with 250 femtoseconds resolution. Our experiment demonstrates the central role played by ‘breather-like' structures such as the Peregrine soliton in the emergence of heavy-tailed statistics in integrable turbulence.

A rogue wave is an unexpected oscillation of large amplitude and is an example of the spontaneous formation of a coherent structure out of disorder. Here, the authors develop an experimental strategy that can provide snapshots in time and thus record the real shape of optical rogue waves emerging from random noise.

Rogue waves in multiphase solutions of the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Rogue waves appearing on deep water or in optical fibres are often modelled by certain breather solutions of the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger (fNLS) equation which are referred to as solitons on finite background (SFBs). A more general modelling of rogue waves can be achieved via the consideration of multiphase, or finite-band, fNLS solutions of whom the standard SFBs and the structures forming due to their collisions represent particular, degenerate, cases. A generalized rogue wave notion then naturally enters as a large-amplitude localized coherent structure occurring within a finite-band fNLS solution. In this paper, we use the winding of real tori to show the mechanism of the appearance of such generalized rogue waves and derive an analytical criterion distinguishing finite-band potentials of the fNLS equation that exhibit generalized rogue waves.

Optical rogue waves in integrable turbulence

We report optical experiments allowing us to investigate integrable turbulence in the focusing regime of the one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation (1D NLSE). In analogy with broad spectrum excitation of a one-dimensional water tank, we launch random initial waves in a single mode optical fiber. Using an original optical sampling setup, we measure precisely the probability density function of optical power of the partially coherent waves rapidly fluctuating with time. The probability density function is found to evolve from the normal law to a strong heavy-tailed distribution, thus revealing the formation of rogue waves in integrable turbulence. Numerical simulations of 1D NLSE with stochastic initial conditions quantitatively reproduce the experiments. Our numerical investigations suggest that the statistical features experimentally observed rely on the stochastic generation of coherent analytic solutions of 1D NLSE.

Rogue waves: analytical predictions

Rogue waves observed in the ocean and elsewhere are often modelled by certain solutions of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation, describing the modulational instability of a plane wave and the subsequent development of multi-phase nonlinear wavetrains. In this paper, we describe how integrability and application of the inverse scattering transform can be used to construct a class of explicit asymptotic solutions that describe this process. We discuss the universal mechanism of the onset of multi-phase nonlinear waves (rogue waves) through the sequence of successive multi-breather wavetrains. Some applications to ocean waves and laboratory experiments are presented.

Emergence of coherent wave groups in deep-water random sea

Extreme surface waves in a deep-water long-crested sea are often interpreted as a manifestation in the real world of the so-called breathing solitons of the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation. While the spontaneous emergence of such coherent structures from nonlinear wave dynamics was demonstrated to take place in fiber-optics systems, the same point remains far more controversial in the hydrodynamic case. With the aim to shed further light on this matter, the emergence of breatherlike coherent wave groups in a long-crested random sea is investigated here by means of high-resolution spectral simulations of the fully nonlinear two-dimensional Euler equations. The primary focus of our study is to parametrize the structure of random wave fields with respect to the Benjamin-Feir index, which is a nondimensional measure of the energy localization in Fourier space. This choice is motivated by previous results, showing that extreme-wave activity in a long-crested sea is highly sensitive to such a parameter, which is varied here by changing both the characteristic spectral bandwidth and the average wave steepness. It is found that coherent wave groups, closely matching realizations of Kuznetsov-Ma breathers in Euler dynamics, develop within wave fields characterized by sufficiently narrow-banded spectra. The characteristic spatial and temporal scales of wave group dynamics, and the corresponding occurrence of extreme events, are quantified and discussed by means of space-time autocorrelations of the surface elevation envelope and extreme-event statistics.

Gravity wave turbulence revealed by horizontal vibrations of the container

We experimentally study the role of forcing on gravity-capillary wave turbulence. Previous laboratory experiments using spatially localized forcing (vibrating blades) have shown that the frequency power-law exponent of the gravity wave spectrum depends on the forcing parameters. By horizontally vibrating the whole container, we observe a spectrum exponent that does not depend on the forcing parameters for both gravity and capillary regimes. This spatially extended forcing leads to a gravity spectrum exponent in better agreement with the theory than by using a spatially localized forcing. The role of the vessel shape has been also studied. Finally, the wave spectrum is found to scale linearly with the injected power for both regimes whatever the forcing type used.

Triggering rogue waves in opposing currents

We show that rogue waves can be triggered naturally when a stable wave train enters a region of an opposing current flow. We demonstrate that the maximum amplitude of the rogue wave depends on the ratio between the current velocity U(0) and the wave group velocity c(g). We also reveal that an opposing current can force the development of rogue waves in random wave fields, resulting in a substantial change of the statistical properties of the surface elevation. The present results can be directly adopted in any field of physics in which the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation with nonconstant coefficient is applicable. In particular, nonlinear optics laboratory experiments are natural candidates for verifying experimentally our results.

Non-line-of-sight underwater optical wireless communication network

The growing need for ocean observation systems has stimulated considerable interest within the research community in advancing the enabling technologies of underwater wireless communication and underwater sensor networks. Sensors and ad hoc sensor networks are the emerging tools for performing extensive data-gathering operations on land, and solutions in the subsea setting are being sought. Efficient communication from the sensors and within the network is critical, but the underwater environment is extremely challenging. Addressing the special features of underwater wireless communication in sensor networks, we propose a novel non-line-of-sight network concept in which the link is implemented by means of back-reflection of the propagating optic signal at the ocean-air interface and derive a mathematical model of the channel. Point-to-multipoint links can be achieved in an energy efficient manner and broadcast broadband communications, such as video transmissions, can be executed. We show achievable bit error rates as a function of sensor node separation and demonstrate the feasibility of this concept using state-of-the-art silicon photomultiplier detectors.

On alpha stable distribution of wind driven water surface wave slope

We propose a new formulation of the probability distribution function of wind driven water surface slope with an alpha-stable distribution probability. The mathematical formulation of the probability distribution function is given under an integral formulation. Application to represent the probability of time slope data from laboratory experiments is carried out with satisfactory results. We compare also the alpha-stable model of the water surface slopes with the Gram-Charlier development and the non-Gaussian model of Liu et al. [J. Phys. Oceanogr. 27, 782 (1997)]. Discussions and conclusions are conducted on the basis of the data fit results and the model analysis comparison.

Observation of intermittency in wave turbulence

We report the observation of intermittency in gravity-capillary wave turbulence on the surface of mercury. We measure the temporal fluctuations of surface wave amplitude at a given location. We show that the shape of the probability density function of the local slope increments of the surface waves strongly changes across the time scales. The related structure functions and the flatness are found to be power laws of the time scale on more than one decade. The exponents of these power laws increase nonlinearly with the order of the structure function. All these observations show the intermittent nature of the increments of the local slope in wave turbulence. We discuss the possible origin of this intermittency.

Observations on the evolution of wave modulation

A series of laboratory experiments on the long-time evolution of nonlinear wave trains in deep water was carried out in a super wave flume (300×5.0×5.2 m) at Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory of National Cheng Kung University. Two typical wave trains, namely uniform wave and imposed sideband wave, were generated by a piston-type wavemaker. Detailed discussions on the evolution of modulated wave trains, such as transient wavefront, fastest growth mode and initial wave steepness effect, are given and the results are compared with existing experimental data and theoretical predictions.

Present results on the evolution of initial uniform wave trains cover a wide range of initial wave steepness ( ) and thus, greatly extend earlier studies that are confined only to the larger initial wave steepness region ( ). The amplitudes of the fastest growth sidebands exhibit a symmetric exponential growth until the onset of wave breaking. At a further stage, the amplitude of lower sideband becomes larger than the carrier wave and upper sideband after wave breaking, which is known as the frequency downshift.

The investigations on the evolution of initial imposed sideband wave trains for fixed initial wave steepness but different sideband space indicate that the most unstable mode of initial wave train will manifest itself during evolution through a multiple downshift of wave spectrum for the wave train with the smaller sideband space. It reveals that the spectrum energy tends to shift to a lower frequency as the wave train propagates downstream due to the sideband instability.

Experiments on initial imposed sideband wave trains with varied initial wave steepness illustrate that the evolution of the wave train is a periodic modulation and demodulation at post-breaking stages, in which most of the energy of the wave train is transferred cyclically between the carrier wave and two imposed sidebands. Meanwhile, the wave spectra show both temporal and permanent frequency downshift for different initial wave steepness, suggesting that the permanent frequency downshift induced by wave breaking observed by earlier researchers is not permanent. Additionally, the local wave steepness and the ratio of horizontal particle velocity to linear phase velocity at wave breaking in modulated wave group are very different from those of Stokes theory.

Modulational instability in crossing sea states: a possible mechanism for the formation of freak waves

Here we consider a simple weakly nonlinear model that describes the interaction of two-wave systems in deep water with two different directions of propagation. Under the hypothesis that both sea systems are narrow banded, we derive from the Zakharov equation two coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations. Given a single unstable plane wave, here we show that the introduction of a second plane wave, propagating in a different direction, can result in an increase of the instability growth rates and enlargement of the instability region. We discuss these results in the context of the formation of rogue waves.