Basic motions of the Korteweg-de Vries equation (Q4373348)

The paper is devoted to singular solutions of the classical Korteweg-de Vries equation. The consideration is based on a modified version of the inverse scattering transform. A fundamental singular solution dealt with in the paper (which is not a moving solution of the simple form \(u(x-Vt)\)) is called a ``harmonic breather'' (HB). It has a singularity \(\sim(x-x_0(t))^{-2}\), and slowly decays with oscillations at \(|x|\to\infty\). A family of the HB solutions has one nontrivial parameter, that determines its velocity and internal frequency, and two phases. Besides the fundamental HBs, more sophisticated exact solutions in the form of dipoles, quadrupoles, and higher-order multipoles built out of the fundamental HBs are found, too. Exact solutions for collisions between the HBs, and between HB and a regular soliton, are also obtained. The collision of two HBs is demonstrated to be absolutely elastic, without changing the values of the HBs' phases. In a special case when the velocities and oscillation phases of the two HBs are identical, the interaction between them leads to their fusion into a new one with the same value of the velocity. The collision with a regular soliton does not change any parameter of the soliton, but changes the two phases of the HB. Finally, a variational approximation is put forward in the paper, based on representation of a general solution in the form of a linear superposition of several HBs.