Measurement of velocity field in parametrically excited solitary waves

Leonardo Gordillo, Nicolás Mujica

Published 2014-01-28, updated 2014-02-03Version 2

Parametrically excited solitary waves emerge as localized structures in high-aspect-ratio free surfaces subject to vertical vibrations. Herein, we provide the first experimental characterization of the hydrodynamics of these waves using Particle Image Velocimetry. We show that the underlying velocity field of parametrically excited solitary waves is mainly composed by an oscillatory velocity field. Our results confirm the accuracy of Hamiltonian models with added dissipation in describing this field. Remarkably, our measurements also uncover the onset of a streaming velocity field which is shown to be as important as other crucial nonlinear terms in the current theory. The observed streaming pattern is particularly interesting due to the presence of oscillatory meniscii.