Infinite hierarchy of nonlinear Schrödinger equations and their solutions.

We study the infinite integrable nonlinear Schrödinger equation hierarchy beyond the Lakshmanan-Porsezian-Daniel equation which is a particular (fourth-order) case of the hierarchy. In particular, we present the generalized Lax pair and generalized soliton solutions, plane wave solutions, Akhmediev breathers, Kuznetsov-Ma breathers, periodic solutions, and rogue wave solutions for this infinite-order hierarchy. We find that "even- order" equations in the set affect phase and "stretching factors" in the solutions, while "odd-order" equations affect the velocities. Hence odd-order equation solutions can be real functions, while even-order equation solutions are always complex.

Integrable equations of the infinite nonlinear Schrödinger equation hierarchy with time variable coefficients.

We present an infinite nonlinear Schrödinger equation hierarchy of integrable equations, together with the recurrence relations defining it. To demonstrate integrability, we present the Lax pairs for the whole hierarchy, specify its Darboux transformations and provide several examples of solutions. These resulting wavefunctions are given in exact analytical form. We then show that the Lax pair and Darboux transformation formalisms still apply in this scheme when the coefficients in the hierarchy depend on the propagation variable (e.g., time). This extension thus allows for the construction of complicated solutions within a greatly diversified domain of generalised nonlinear systems.

Breather-to-soliton conversions described by the quintic equation of the nonlinear Schrödinger hierarchy.

We analyze the quintic integrable equation of the nonlinear Schrödinger hierarchy that includes fifth-order dispersion with matching higher-order nonlinear terms. We show that a breather solution of this equation can be converted into a nonpulsating soliton solution on a background. We calculate the locus of the eigenvalues on the complex plane which convert breathers into solitons. This transformation does not have an analog in the standard nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We also study the interaction between the new type of solitons, as well as between breathers and these solitons.

Breather solutions of the integrable quintic nonlinear Schrödinger equation and their interactions.

We present breather solutions of the quintic integrable equation of the Schrödinger hierarchy. This equation has terms describing fifth-order dispersion and matching nonlinear terms. Using a Darboux transformation, we derive first-order and second-order breather solutions. These include first- and second-order rogue-wave solutions. To some extent, these solutions are analogous with the corresponding nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) solutions. However, the presence of a free parameter in the equation results in specific solutions that have no analogues in the NLSE case. We analyze new features of these solutions.

Soliton solutions of an integrable nonlinear Schrödinger equation with quintic terms.

We present the fifth-order equation of the nonlinear Schrödinger hierarchy. This integrable partial differential equation contains fifth-order dispersion and nonlinear terms related to it. We present the Lax pair and use Darboux transformations to derive exact expressions for the most representative soliton solutions. This set includes two-soliton collisions and the degenerate case of the two-soliton solution, as well as beating structures composed of two or three solitons. Ultimately, the new quintic operator and the terms it adds to the standard nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) are found to primarily affect the velocity of solutions, with complicated flow-on effects. Furthermore, we present a new structure, composed of coincident equal-amplitude solitons, which cannot exist for the standard NLSE.

Physiologically based quantitative modeling of unihemispheric sleep.

Unihemispheric sleep has been observed in numerous species, including birds and aquatic mammals. While knowledge of its functional role has been improved in recent years, the physiological mechanisms that generate this behavior remain poorly understood. Here, unihemispheric sleep is simulated using a physiologically based quantitative model of the mammalian ascending arousal system. The model includes mutual inhibition between wake-promoting monoaminergic nuclei (MA) and sleep-promoting ventrolateral preoptic nuclei (VLPO), driven by circadian and homeostatic drives as well as cholinergic and orexinergic input to MA. The model is extended here to incorporate two distinct hemispheres and their interconnections. It is postulated that inhibitory connections between VLPO nuclei in opposite hemispheres are responsible for unihemispheric sleep, and it is shown that contralateral inhibitory connections promote unihemispheric sleep while ipsilateral inhibitory connections promote bihemispheric sleep. The frequency of alternating unihemispheric sleep bouts is chiefly determined by sleep homeostasis and its corresponding time constant. It is shown that the model reproduces dolphin sleep, and that the sleep regimes of humans, cetaceans, and fur seals, the latter both terrestrially and in a marine environment, require only modest changes in contralateral connection strength and homeostatic time constant. It is further demonstrated that fur seals can potentially switch between their terrestrial bihemispheric and aquatic unihemispheric sleep patterns by varying just the contralateral connection strength. These results provide experimentally testable predictions regarding the differences between species that sleep bihemispherically and unihemispherically.