2010/03/01 by M. Shats, H. Punzmann, H. Xia · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #physics.flu-dyn
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.104.104503
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 104503 (2010) · 4 pages, 5 figures
arxiv created 2010/03/01 · arxiv updated 2010/03/15
We report the first observation of extreme wave events (rogue waves) in parametrically driven capillary waves. Rogue waves are observed above a certain threshold in forcing. Above this threshold, frequency spectra broaden and develop exponential tails. For the first time we present evidence of strong four-wave coupling in non-linear waves (high tricoherence), which points to modulation instability as the main mechanism in rogue waves. The generation of rogue waves is identified as the onset of a distinct tail in the probability density function of the wave heights. Their probability is higher than expected from the measured wave background.