Soliton

In mathematics and physics, a soliton is a self-reinforcing solitary wave caused by nonlinear effects in the medium. Solitons are found in many physical phenomena, as they arise as the solutions of a widespread class of weakly nonlinear partial differential equations describing physical systems. The soliton phenomenon was first described by John Scott Russell (1808-1882) who observed a solitary wave in the Union Canal, reproduced the phenomenon in a wave tank, and named it the "Wave of Translation".

References

• N. J. Zabusky and M. D. Kruskal (1965). Interaction of 'Solitons' in a Collisionless Plasma and the Recurrence of Initial States. Phys Rev Lett 15, 240
• A. Hasegawa and F. Tappert (1973). Transmission of stationary nonlinear optical pulses in dispersive dielectric fibers. I. Anomalous dispersion. Appl. Phys. Lett. Volume 23, Issue 3, pp. 142-144.
• P. G. Drazin and R. S. Johnson (1989). Solitons: an introduction. Cambridge University Press.