Multidimensional nonlinear wave equations with multivalued solutions

Abstract

We present the theory of breaking waves in nonlinear systems whose dynamics and spatial structure are described by multidimensional nonlinear hyperbolic wave equations. We obtain a general relation between systems of first-order quasilinear equations and nonlinear hyperbolic equations of higher orders, which, in particular, describe electromagnetic waves in a medium with nonlinear polarization of an arbitrary form. We use this approach to construct exact multivalued solutions of such equations and to study their spatial structure and dynamics. The results are generalized to a wide class of multidimensional equations such as d’Alembert equations, nonlinear Klein-Gordon equations, and nonlinear telegraph equations.