Speed-of-light pulses in a massless nonlinear Dirac equation.

In this work, we explore a massless nonlinear Dirac equation, i.e., a nonlinear Weyl equation. We study the dynamics of its pulse solutions and find that a localized one-hump initial condition splits into a localized two-hump pulse, while an associated phase structure emerges in suitable components of the spinor field. For times larger than a transient time t_{s} this pulse moves with the speed of light, effectively featuring linear wave dynamics and maintaining its shape (both in two and three dimensions). We show that for the considered nonlinearity, this pulse represents an exact solution of the nonlinear equation. Finally, we briefly comment on the generalization of the results to a broader class of nonlinearities.

Speed-of-light pulses in the massless nonlinear Dirac equation with a potential.

We consider the massless nonlinear Dirac (NLD) equation in 1+1 dimension with scalar-scalar self-interaction g^{2}/2(Ψ[over ¯]Ψ)^{2} in the presence of three external electromagnetic real potentials V(x), a potential barrier, a constant potential, and a potential well. By solving numerically the NLD equation, we find different scenarios depending on initial conditions, namely, propagation of the initial pulse along one direction, splitting of the initial pulse into two pulses traveling in opposite directions, and focusing of two initial pulses followed by a splitting. For all considered cases, the final waves travel with the speed of light and are solutions of the massless linear Dirac equation. During these processes the charge and the energy are conserved, whereas the momentum is conserved when the solutions possess specific symmetries. For the case of the constant potential, we derive exact analytical solutions of the massless NLD equation that are also solutions of the massless linearized Dirac equation. Decay or growth of the initial pulse is also predicted from the evolution of the charge for the case of a non-zero imaginary part of the potential.

Variational approach to studying solitary waves in the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with complex potentials.

We discuss the behavior of solitary wave solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) as they interact with complex potentials, using a four-parameter variational approximation based on a dissipation functional formulation of the dynamics. We concentrate on spatially periodic potentials with the periods of the real and imaginary part being either the same or different. Our results for the time evolution of the collective coordinates of our variational ansatz are in good agreement with direct numerical simulation of the NLSE. We compare our method with a collective coordinate approach of Kominis and give examples where the two methods give qualitatively different answers. In our variational approach, we are able to give analytic results for the small oscillation frequency of the solitary wave oscillating parameters which agree with the numerical solution of the collective coordinate equations. We also verify that instabilities set in when the slope dp(t)/dv(t) becomes negative when plotted parametrically as a function of time, where p(t) is the momentum of the solitary wave and v(t) the velocity.

Erratum: Nonlinear Dirac equation solitary waves in external fields [Phys. Rev. E 86, 046602 (2012)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.86.046602.

Soliton dynamics in optical fibers using the generalized traveling-wave method.

The generalized traveling wave method (GTWM) is applied to the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation with general perturbations in order to obtain the equations of motion for an ansatz with six collective coordinates, namely the soliton position, the amplitude, the inverse of the soliton width, the velocity, the chirp, and the phase. The advantage of the new ansatz is that it yields three pairs of canonically conjugated coordinates and momenta that all are well-behaved. The new ansatz is applied to model the dynamics of a soliton in a dispersion-shifted optical fiber described by the generalized NLS, including dissipation, higher-order dispersion, Raman scattering, and self-steepening perturbations. It is shown that the GTWM is equivalent to the modified method of moments, which considers the time variation of the norm, the first and the second moment of the norm, the momentum, the first moment of the momentum, and the energy for the perturbed NLS equation.

Soliton stability criterion for generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equations.

A stability criterion for solitons of the driven nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) has been conjectured. The criterion states that p'(v)<0 is a sufficient condition for instability, while p'(v)>0 is a necessary condition for stability; here, v is the soliton velocity and p=P/N, where P and N are the soliton momentum and norm, respectively. To date, the curve p(v) was calculated approximately by a collective coordinate theory, and the criterion was confirmed by simulations. The goal of this paper is to calculate p(v) exactly for several classes and cases of the generalized NLSE: a soliton moving in a real potential, in particular a time-dependent ramp potential, and a time-dependent confining quadratic potential, where the nonlinearity in the NLSE also has a time-dependent coefficient. Moreover, we investigate a logarithmic and a cubic NLSE with a time-independent quadratic potential well. In the latter case, there is a bisoliton solution that consists of two solitons with asymmetric shapes, forming a bound state in which the shapes and the separation distance oscillate. Finally, we consider a cubic NLSE with parametric driving. In all cases, the p(v) curve is calculated either analytically or numerically, and the stability criterion is confirmed.

Stability of solitary waves in the nonlinear Dirac equation with arbitrary nonlinearity.

We consider the nonlinear Dirac equation in 1 + 1 dimension with scalar-scalar self interaction g(2)/κ+1(̅ΨΨ)(κ+1) and with mass m. Using the exact analytic form for rest frame solitary waves of the form Ψ(x,t)=ψ(x)e(-iωt) for arbitrary κ, we discuss the validity of various approaches to understanding stability that were successful for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. In particular we study the validity of a version of Derrick's theorem and the criterion of Bogolubsky as well as the Vakhitov-Kolokolov criterion, and find that these criteria yield inconsistent results. Therefore, we study the stability by numerical simulations using a recently developed fourth-order operator splitting integration method. For different ranges of κ we map out the stability regimes in ω. We find that all stable nonlinear Dirac solitary waves have a one-hump profile, but not all one-hump waves are stable, while all waves with two humps are unstable. We also find that the time t(c), it takes for the instability to set in, is an exponentially increasing function of ω and t(c) decreases monotonically with increasing κ.

Propulsion efficiency of a dynamic self-assembled helical ribbon.

We study the dynamic self-assembly and propulsion of a ribbon formed from paramagnetic colloids in a dynamic magnetic field. The sedimented ribbon assembles due to time averaged dipolar interactions between the beads. The time dependence of the dipolar interactions together with hydrodynamic interactions cause a twisted ribbon conformation. Domain walls of high twist connect domains of nearly constant orientation and negligible twist and travel through the ribbon. The particular form of the domain walls can be controlled via the frequency and the eccentricity of the modulation. The flux of twist walls-a true ribbon property absent in slender bodies-provides the thrust onto the surrounding liquid that propels this biomimetic flagellum into the opposite direction. The propulsion efficiency increases with frequency and ceases abruptly at a critical frequency where the conformation changes discontinuously to a flat standing ribbon conformation.

Nonlinear Dirac equation solitary waves in external fields.

We consider nonlinear Dirac equations (NLDE's) in the 1+1 dimension with scalar-scalar self-interaction g2/κ+1(Ψ[over ¯]Ψ)κ+1 in the presence of various external electromagnetic fields. We find exact solutions for special external fields and we study the behavior of solitary-wave solutions to the NLDE in the presence of a wide variety of fields in a variational approximation depending on collective coordinates which allows the position, width, and phase of these waves to vary in time. We find that in this approximation the position q(t) of the center of the solitary wave obeys the usual behavior of a relativistic point particle in an external field. For time-independent external fields, we find that the energy of the solitary wave is conserved but not the momentum, which becomes a function of time. We postulate that, similarly to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE), a sufficient dynamical condition for instability to arise is that dP(t)/dq[over ̇](t)<0. Here P(t) is the momentum of the solitary wave, and q[over ̇] is the velocity of the center of the wave in the collective coordinate approximation. We found for our choices of external potentials that we always have dP(t)/dq[over ̇](t)>0, so, when instabilities do occur, they are due to a different source. We investigate the accuracy of our variational approximation using numerical simulations of the NLDE and find that, when the forcing term is small and we are in a regime where the solitary wave is stable, that the behavior of the solutions of the collective coordinate equations agrees very well with the numerical simulations. We found that the time evolution of the collective coordinates of the solitary wave in our numerical simulations, namely the position of the average charge density and the momentum of the solitary wave, provide good indicators for when the solitary wave first becomes unstable. When these variables stop being smooth functions of time (t), then the solitary wave starts to distort in shape.

Forced nonlinear Schrödinger equation with arbitrary nonlinearity.

We consider the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) in 1+1 dimension with scalar-scalar self-interaction g(2)/κ+1(ψ*ψ)(κ+1) in the presence of the external forcing terms of the form re(-i(kx+θ))-δψ. We find new exact solutions for this problem and show that the solitary wave momentum is conserved in a moving frame where v(k)=2k. These new exact solutions reduce to the constant phase solutions of the unforced problem when r→0. In particular we study the behavior of solitary wave solutions in the presence of these external forces in a variational approximation which allows the position, momentum, width, and phase of these waves to vary in time. We show that the stationary solutions of the variational equations include a solution close to the exact one and we study small oscillations around all the stationary solutions. We postulate that the dynamical condition for instability is that dp(t)/dq ̇(t)<0, where p(t) is the normalized canonical momentum p(t)=1/M(t)∂L/∂q ̇, and q ̇(t) is the solitary wave velocity. Here M(t)=∫dxψ*(x,t)ψ(x,t). Stability is also studied using a "phase portrait" of the soliton, where its dynamics is represented by two-dimensional projections of its trajectory in the four-dimensional space of collective coordinates. The criterion for stability of a soliton is that its trajectory is a closed single curve with a positive sense of rotation around a fixed point. We investigate the accuracy of our variational approximation and these criteria using numerical simulations of the NLSE. We find that our criteria work quite well when the magnitude of the forcing term is small compared to the amplitude of the unforced solitary wave. In this regime the variational approximation captures quite well the behavior of the solitary wave.

Refined empirical stability criterion for nonlinear Schrödinger solitons under spatiotemporal forcing.

We investigate the dynamics of traveling oscillating solitons of the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation under an external spatiotemporal forcing of the form f(x,t)=aexp[iK(t)x]. For the case of time-independent forcing, a stability criterion for these solitons, which is based on a collective coordinate theory, was recently conjectured. We show that the proposed criterion has a limited applicability and present a refined criterion which is generally applicable, as confirmed by direct simulations. This includes more general situations where K(t) is harmonic or biharmonic, with or without a damping term in the NLS equation. The refined criterion states that the soliton will be unstable if the "stability curve" p(v), where p(t) and v(t) are the normalized momentum and the velocity of the soliton, has a section with a negative slope. In the case of a constant K and zero damping, we use the collective coordinate solutions to compute a "phase portrait" of the soliton where its dynamics is represented by two-dimensional projections of its trajectories in the four-dimensional space of collective coordinates. We conjecture, and confirm by simulations, that the soliton is unstable if a section of the resulting closed curve on the portrait has a negative sense of rotation.

Generalized traveling-wave method, variational approach, and modified conserved quantities for the perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation.

The generalized traveling wave method (GTWM) is developed for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) with general perturbations in order to obtain the equations of motion for an arbitrary number of collective coordinates. Regardless of the particular ansatz that is used, it is shown that this alternative approach is equivalent to the Lagrangian formalism, but has the advantage that only the Hamiltonian of the unperturbed system is required, instead of the Lagrangian for the perturbed system. As an explicit example, we take 4 collective coordinates, namely the position, velocity, amplitude and phase of the soliton, and show that the GTWM yields the same equations of motion as the perturbation theory based on the Inverse Scattering Transform and as the time variation of the norm, first moment of the norm, momentum, and energy for the perturbed NLSE.

Nonlinear Schrödinger equation with spatiotemporal perturbations.

We investigate the dynamics of solitons of the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) with the following perturbations: nonparametric spatiotemporal driving of the form f(x,t)=a exp[iK(t)x], damping, and a linear term which serves to stabilize the driven soliton. Using the time evolution of norm, momentum and energy, or, alternatively, a Lagrangian approach, we develop a collective-coordinate-theory which yields a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) for our four collective coordinates. These ODEs are solved analytically and numerically for the case of a constant, spatially periodic force f(x). The soliton position exhibits oscillations around a mean trajectory with constant velocity. This means that the soliton performs, on the average, a unidirectional motion although the spatial average of the force vanishes. The amplitude of the oscillations is much smaller than the period of f(x). In order to find out for which regions the above solutions are stable, we calculate the time evolution of the soliton momentum P(t) and the soliton velocity V(t): This is a parameter representation of a curve P(V) which is visited by the soliton while time evolves. Our conjecture is that the soliton becomes unstable, if this curve has a branch with negative slope. This conjecture is fully confirmed by our simulations for the perturbed NLSE. Moreover, this curve also yields a good estimate for the soliton lifetime: the soliton lives longer, the shorter the branch with negative slope is.

Driven and damped double sine-Gordon equation: the influence of internal modes on the soliton ratchet mobility.

This work studies the damped double sine-Gordon equation driven by a biharmonic force, where a parameter lambda controls the existence and the frequency of an internal mode. The role of internal oscillations of the kink width in ratchet dynamics of kink is investigated within the framework of collective coordinate theories. It is found that the ratchet velocity of the kink, when an internal mode appears in this system, decreases contrary to what was expected. It is also shown that the kink exhibits a higher mobility in the double sine-Gordon without internal mode, but with a quasilocalized first phonon mode.

Thermal diffusion of Boussinesq solitons.

We consider the problem of the soliton dynamics in the presence of an external noisy force for the Boussinesq type equations. A set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) of the relevant coordinates of the system is derived. We show that for the improved Boussinesq (IBq) equation the set of ODEs has limiting cases leading to a set of ODEs which can be directly derived either from the ill-posed Boussinesq equation or from the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation. The case of a soliton propagating in the presence of damping and thermal noise is considered for the IBq equation. A good agreement between theory and simulations is observed showing the strong robustness of these excitations. The results obtained here generalize previous results obtained in the frame of the KdV equation for lattice solitons in the monatomic chain of atoms.

Vortex polarity switching by a spin-polarized current.

The spin-transfer effect is investigated for the vortex state of a magnetic nanodot. A spin current is shown to act similarly to an effective magnetic field perpendicular to the nanodot. Then a vortex with magnetization (polarity) parallel to the current polarization is energetically favorable. Following a simple energy analysis and using direct spin-lattice simulations, we predict the polarity switching of a vortex. For magnetic storage devices, an electric current is more effective to switch the polarity of a vortex in a nanodot than the magnetic field.

Sine-Gordon ratchets with general periodic, additive, and parametric driving forces.

We study the soliton ratchets in the damped sine-Gordon equation with periodic nonsinusoidal, additive, and parametric driving forces. By means of symmetry analysis of this system we show that the net motion of the kink is not possible if the frequencies of both forces satisfy a certain relationship. Using a collective coordinate theory with two degrees of freedom, we show that the ratchet motion of kinks appears as a consequence of a resonance between the oscillations of the momentum and the width of the kink. We show that the equations of motion that fulfill these collective coordinates follow from the corresponding symmetry properties of the original systems. As a further application of the collective coordinate technique we obtain another relationship between the frequencies of the parametric and additive drivers that suppresses the ratchetlike motion of the kink. We check all these results by means of numerical simulations of the original system and the numerical solutions of the collective coordinate equations.

Ratchet effect in a damped sine-Gordon system with additive and parametric ac driving forces.

We study in detail the damped sine-Gordon equation, driven by two ac forces (one is added as a parametric perturbation and the other one in an additive way), as an example of soliton ratchets. By means of a collective coordinate approach we derive an analytical expression for the average velocity of the soliton, which allows us to show that this mechanism of transport requires certain relationships both between the frequencies and between the initial phases of the two ac forces. The control of the velocity by the damping coefficient and parameters of the ac forces is also presented and discussed. All these results are subsequently checked by means of simulations for the driven and damped sine-Gordon equation that we have studied.

Inhomogeneous soliton ratchets under two ac forces.

We extend our previous work on soliton ratchet devices [L. Morales-Molina, Eur. Phys. J. B 37, 79 (2004)] to consider the joint effect of two ac forces including nonharmonic drivings, as proposed for particle ratchets by Savele'v [Europhys. Lett. 67, 179 (2004); Phys. Rev. E 70, 066109 (2004)]. Current reversals due to the interplay between the phases, frequencies, and amplitudes of the harmonics are obtained. An analysis of the effect of the damping coefficient on the dynamics is presented. We show that solitons give rise to nontrivial differences in the phenomenology reported for particle systems that arise from their extended character. A comparison with soliton ratchets in homogeneous systems with biharmonic forces is also presented. This ratchet device may be an ideal candidate for Josephson junction ratchets with intrinsic large damping.

Soliton ratchets in homogeneous nonlinear Klein-Gordon systems.

We study in detail the ratchetlike dynamics of topological solitons in homogeneous nonlinear Klein-Gordon systems driven by a biharmonic force. By using a collective coordinate approach with two degrees of freedom, namely the center of the soliton, X(t), and its width, l(t), we show, first, that energy is inhomogeneously pumped into the system, generating as result a directed motion; and, second, that the breaking of the time shift symmetry gives rise to a resonance mechanism that takes place whenever the width l(t) oscillates with at least one frequency of the external ac force. In addition, we show that for the appearance of soliton ratchets, it is also necessary to break the time-reversal symmetry. We analyze in detail the effects of dissipation in the system, calculating the average velocity of the soliton as a function of the ac force and the damping. We find current reversal phenomena depending on the parameter choice and discuss the important role played by the phases of the ac force. Our analytical calculations are confirmed by numerical simulations of the full partial differential equations of the sine-Gordon and phi4 systems, which are seen to exhibit the same qualitative behavior. Our results show features similar to those obtained in recent experimental work on dissipation induced symmetry breaking.