Standing waves in deep water: Their stability and extreme form

Abstract

A stable and accurate numerical method to calculate the motion of an interface between two fluids is used to calculate two-dimensional standing water waves. The general method calculates arbitrary time-dependent motion of an interface, possibly including interfacial tension and different density ratios between the fluids. Extremely steep standing waves are determined, significantly steeper than has been previously reported. The peak crest acceleration is used as the determining parameter rather than the wave steepness as the wave steepness is found to have a maximum short of the most extreme wave. Profiles with crest accelerations up to 98% of gravity are calculated (a sequence of raster images of this profile as it evolves in time over one period may be obtained upon application to the authors: e-mail gmercer@spam.ua.oz.au or aroberts@spam.ua.oz.au), and the shape of these extreme standing wave profiles are discussed. The stability of the standing waves is examined and growth rates of the unstable modes are calculated. It is found that all but very steep standing waves are generally stable to harmonic perturbations. However, standing waves are typically unstable to subharmonic perturbations via a sideband-type instability.