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Stability of weakly nonlinear deep-water waves in two and three dimensions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2006

Donald R. Crawford
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Bruce M. Lake
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Philip G. Saffman
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, CA 90278 Applied Mathematics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125.
Henry C. Yuen
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, CA 90278

Abstract

The stability of a weakly nonlinear wave train on deep water to two- and three-dimensional modulations is investigated using an improved approximation due to Zakharov (1968). The results are expressible in simple analytical forms, and show good quantitative agreement with available experimental data and exact numerical calculations over a broad range of wave steepness in the unidirectional case.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1981 Cambridge University Press

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