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A high-order spectral method for the study of nonlinear gravity waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2006

Douglas G. Dommermuth  and
Dick K. P. Yue
Douglas G. Dommermuth
Affiliation:
Department of Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Dick K. P. Yue
Affiliation:
Department of Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Abstract

We develop a robust numerical method for modelling nonlinear gravity waves which is based on the Zakharov equation/mode-coupling idea but is generalized to include interactions up to an arbitrary order M in wave steepness. A large number (N = O(1000)) of free wave modes are typically used whose amplitude evolutions are determined through a pseudospectral treatment of the nonlinear free-surface conditions. The computational effort is directly proportional to N and M, and the convergence with N and M is exponentially fast for waves up to approximately 80% of Stokes limiting steepness (ka ∼ 0.35). The efficiency and accuracy of the method is demonstrated by comparisons to fully nonlinear semi-Lagrangian computations (Vinje & Brevig 1981); calculations of long-time evolution of wavetrains using the modified (fourth-order) Zakharov equations (Stiassnie & Shemer 1987); and experimental measurements of a travelling wave packet (Su 1982). As a final example of the usefulness of the method, we consider the nonlinear interactions between two colliding wave envelopes of different carrier frequencies.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 184 , November 1987 , pp. 267 - 288
Copyright
© 1987 Cambridge University Press

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