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Korteweg-de Vries equation

From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.

The Korteweg-de Vries equation (KdV equation for short) is the following partial differential equation for a function φ of two real variables, x and t:

$\partial_t\phi+\partial^3_x\phi+6\phi\partial_x\phi=0$

Its solutions clump up into solitons. It is named for Diederik Korteweg and Gustav de Vries.

To see how this works, consider solutions in which a fixed wave form (given by f(x)) maintains its shape as it travels to the right at speed c. Such a solution is given by φ(x,t) = f(x-ct). This gives the differential equation

$-c\frac{df}{dx}+\frac{d^3f}{dx^3}+6f\frac{df}{dx} = 0,$

or, integrating with respect to x,

$3f^2+\frac{d^2 f}{dx^2}-cf=A$

where A is a constant of integration. Interpreting the independent variable x above as a time variable, this means f satisfies Newton's equation of motion in a cubic potential. If parameters are adjusted so that f(x) has local maximum at x=0, there is a solution in which f(x) starts at this point at 'time' -∞, eventually slides down to the local minimum, then back up the other side, reaching an equal height, then reverses direction, ending up at the local maximum again at time ∞. In other words, f(x) approaches 0 as x→±∞. This is the characteristic shape of the solitary wave solution.