Triggering Rogue Waves in Opposing Currents

TLDR

These results apply to any physics field governed by the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation with variable coefficients. The authors propose using nonlinear optics laboratory experiments to test the rogue‑wave triggering mechanism. The study demonstrates that opposing currents can naturally trigger rogue waves, with maximum amplitude governed by the ratio of current to group velocity, and that such currents alter the statistical properties of random wave fields.

Abstract

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.