1932

Abstract

David J. Benney (1930–2015) was an applied mathematician and fluid dynamicist whose highly original work has shaped our understanding of nonlinear wave and instability processes in fluid flows. This article discusses the new paradigm he pioneered in the study of nonlinear phenomena, which transcends fluid mechanics, and it highlights the common threads of his research contributions, namely, resonant nonlinear wave interactions; the derivation of nonlinear evolution equations, including the celebrated nonlinear Schrödinger equation for modulated wave trains; and the significance of three-dimensional disturbances in shear flow instability and transition.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-fluid-010518-040240
2020-01-05
2024-05-09
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/fluid/52/1/annurev-fluid-010518-040240.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-fluid-010518-040240&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

Literature Cited

  1. Ablowitz MJ, Akylas TR, Lin CC 2002. Research contributions of David J. Benney. Stud. Appl. Math. 108:1–6
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Ablowitz MJ, Baldwin DE 2012. Nonlinear shallow ocean-wave soliton interactions on flat beaches. Phys. Rev. E 86:036305
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Akylas TR 1994. Three-dimensional long water-wave phenomena. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 26:191–210
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Antar BN, Collins FG 1975. Numerical calculation of finite amplitude effects in unstable boundary layers. Phys. Fluids 18:289–97
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Beal RC, Deleonibus PS, Katz I 1981. Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar for Oceanography Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press
  6. Benjamin TB 1957. Wave formation in laminar flow down an inclined plane. J. Fluid Mech. 2:544–47
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Benjamin TB 1962. The solitary wave on a stream with an arbitrary distribution of vorticity. J. Fluid Mech. 12:97–116
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Benjamin TB 1967. Instability of periodic wavetrains in nonlinear dispersive systems. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 299:59–75
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Benjamin TB, Feir JE 1967. The disintegration of wavetrains on deep water. Part 1. Theory. J. Fluid Mech. 27:417–30
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Benney DJ 1961. A non-linear theory for oscillations in a parallel flow. J. Fluid Mech. 10:209–36
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Benney DJ 1962. Non-linear gravity wave interactions. J. Fluid Mech. 14:577–84
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Benney DJ 1964. Finite-amplitude effects in an unstable laminar boundary layer. Phys. Fluids 7:319–26
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Benney DJ 1966a. Long non-linear waves in fluid flows. J. Math. Phys. 45:52–63
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Benney DJ 1966b. Long waves on liquid films. J. Math. Phys. 45:150–55
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Benney DJ 1973. Some properties of long nonlinear waves. Stud. Appl. Math. 52:45–50
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Benney DJ 1976. Significant interactions between small and large scale surface waves. Stud. Appl. Math. 55:93–106
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Benney DJ 1977. General theory for interactions between short and long waves. Stud. Appl. Math. 56:81–94
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Benney DJ 1983. Nonlinear wavepackets in flows with critical layers. Stud. Appl. Math. 69:177–200
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Benney DJ 1984. The evolution of disturbances in shear flows at high Reynolds numbers. Stud. Appl. Math. 70:1–19
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Benney DJ, Bergeron RF 1969. A new class of nonlinear waves in parallel flows. Stud. Appl. Math. 48:181–204
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Benney DJ, Chow KW 1985. An alternative approach to nonlinear instabilities in hydrodynamics. Stud. Appl. Math. 73:261–67
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Benney DJ, Chow KW 1989. A mean flow 1st harmonic theory for hydrodynamic instabilities. Stud. Appl. Math. 80:37–73
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Benney DJ, Lin CC 1960. On the secondary motion induced by oscillations in a shear flow. Phys. Fluids 3:656–57
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Benney DJ, Luke JC 1964. On the interaction of permanent waves of finite amplitude. J. Math. Phys. 43:309–13
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Benney DJ, Newell AC 1967a. Sequential time closures for interacting random waves. J. Math. Phys. 46:363–93
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Benney DJ, Newell AC 1967b. The propagation of nonlinear wave envelopes. J. Math. Phys. 46:133–39
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Benney DJ, Roskes GJ 1969. Wave instabilities. Stud. Appl. Math. 48:377–85
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Benney DJ, Saffman PG 1966. Nonlinear interactions of random waves in a dispersive medium. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 289:301–20
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Berger KM, Milewski PA 2000. The generation and evolution of lump solitary waves in surface-tension-dominated flows. SIAM J. Appl. Math. 61:731–50
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Bogoliubov NN, Mitropolsky YA 1961. Asymptotic Methods in the Theory of Non-Linear Oscillations New Delhi: Hindustan
  31. Boussinesq J 1871. Théorie de l'intumescence liquide appelée onde solitaire ou de translation se propageant dans un canal rectangulaire. C.R. 72:755–59
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Bryant PJ 1990. Professor David Benney. N.Z. Math. Soc. Newsl. 50:1–2
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Caillol P, Grimshaw RH 2007. Rossby solitary waves in the presence of a critical layer. Stud. Appl. Math. 118:313–64
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Chang H 1994. Wave evolution on a falling film. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 26:103–36
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Chu VC, Mei CC 1970. On slowly varying Stokes waves. J. Fluid Mech. 41:873–87
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Davey A, Stewartson K 1974. On three-dimensional packets of surface waves. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 338:101–10
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Drazin PG, Reid WH 1982. Hydrodynamic Stability Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
  38. Feir JE 1967. Discussion: some results from wave pulse experiments. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 299:54–58
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Funakoshi M 1980. Reflection of obliquely incident solitary waves. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 49:2371–79
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Haberman R 1972. Critical layers in parallel flows. Stud. Appl. Math. 51:139–61
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Hamilton J, Kim J, Waleffe F 1995. Regeneration mechanisms of near-wall turbulence structures. J. Fluid Mech. 287:317–48
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Hasimoto H, Ono H 1972. Nonlinear modulation of gravity waves. J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 33:805–11
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Hasselmann K 1962. On the nonlinear energy transfer in a gravity wave spectrum. Part 1: general theory. J. Fluid Mech. 12:481–500
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Kadomtsev BB, Petviashvili VI 1970. On the stability of solitary waves in weakly dispersive media. Sov. Phys. Dokl. 15:539–41
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Klebanoff PS, Tidstrom KD, Sargent LM 1962. The three-dimensional nature of boundary-layer instability. J. Fluid Mech. 12:1–34
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Korteweg DJ, deVries G 1895. On the change of form of long waves advancing in a rectangular channel, and on a new type of long stationary waves. Lond. Edinb. Dublin Philos. Mag. J. Sci. 39:422–43
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Lin CC, Benney DJ 1964. On the instability of shear flows and their transition to turbulence. Applied Mechanics: Proceedings of the Eleventh International Congress of Applied Mechanics H Görtler797–802 Berlin: Springer
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Long RR 1956. Solitary waves in the one-fluid and two-fluid systems. Tellus 8:460–71
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Longuet-Higgins MS 1962. Resonant interactions between two trains of gravity waves. J. Fluid Mech. 12:321–32
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Maslowe SA 1981. Shear flow instabilities and transition. Hydrodynamic Instabilities and the Transition to Turbulence HL Swinney, JP Gollub181–228 Berlin: Springer
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Maslowe SA 1986. Critical layers in shear flows. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 18:405–32
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Maslowe SA 2014. Evolution equations for finite amplitude waves in parallel shear flows. Nonlinear Physical Systems: Spectral Analysis, Stability and Bifurcations ON Kirillov, DE Pelinovsky223–46 Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Maslowe SA, Benney DJ, Mahoney DJ 1994. Wave packet critical layers in shear flows. Stud. Appl. Math. 91:1–16
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Maslowe SA, Clarke SR 2002. Subcritical Rossby waves in zonal shear flows with nonlinear critical layers. Stud. Appl. Math. 108:89–103
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Miles JW 1977a. Obliquely interacting solitary waves. J. Fluid Mech. 79:157–69
    [Google Scholar]
  56. Miles JW 1977b. Resonantly interacting solitary waves. J. Fluid Mech. 79:171–79
    [Google Scholar]
  57. MIT Math. Dep 2015. David Benney, emeritus professor of mathematics, dies at 85. MIT News http://news.mit.edu/2015/david-benney-mit-applied-mathematician-dies-1016
    [Google Scholar]
  58. Newell AC, Nazarenko S, Biven L 2001. Wave turbulence and intermittency. Physica D 152:520–50
    [Google Scholar]
  59. Oron A, Davis SH, Bankoff GS 1997. Long-scale evolution of thin liquid films. Rev. Mod. Phys. 69:931–80
    [Google Scholar]
  60. Orszag SA, Patera AT 1983. Secondary instability of wall-bounded shear flows. J. Fluid Mech. 128:347–85
    [Google Scholar]
  61. Peters AS, Stoker JJ 1960. Solitary waves in liquids having non-constant density. Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 8:115–64
    [Google Scholar]
  62. Phillips OM 1960. On the dynamics of unsteady gravity waves of finite amplitude. Part 1. The elementary interactions. J. Fluid Mech. 9:193–217
    [Google Scholar]
  63. Phillips OM 1981. Wave interactions—the evolution of an idea. J. Fluid Mech. 106:215–27
    [Google Scholar]
  64. Rayleigh L 1876. On waves. Lond. Edinb. Dublin Philos. Mag. J. Sci. 1:5257–79
    [Google Scholar]
  65. Redekopp LG 1977. On the theory of solitary Rossby waves. J. Fluid Mech. 82:725–45
    [Google Scholar]
  66. Russell JS 1844. Report on waves. Report of the Fourteenth Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science311–90 London: John Murray
    [Google Scholar]
  67. Skopovi I, Akylas TR 2004. Transient nonlinear disturbances and shelves in a stratified fluid layer. Stud. Appl. Math. 113:139–61
    [Google Scholar]
  68. Stokes GG 1847. On the theory of oscillatory waves. Trans. Camb. Philos. Soc. 8:441–73
    [Google Scholar]
  69. Stuart JT 1962. Nonlinear effects in hydrodynamic stability. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Applied Mechanics F Rolla, WT Koiter63–97 Amsterdam: Elsevier
    [Google Scholar]
  70. Tabaei A, Akylas TR 2007. Resonant long-short wave interactions in an unbounded rotating stratified fluid. Stud. Appl. Math. 119:271–96
    [Google Scholar]
  71. Waleffe F 1995a. Hydrodynamic stability and turbulence: beyond transients to a self-sustaining process. Stud. Appl. Math. 95:319–43
    [Google Scholar]
  72. Waleffe F 1995b. Transition in shear flows. Nonlinear normality versus non-normal linearity. Phys. Fluids 7:3060–66
    [Google Scholar]
  73. Waleffe F 1997. On a self-sustaining process in shear flows. Phys. Fluids 9:883–900
    [Google Scholar]
  74. Waleffe F 1998. Three-dimensional coherent states in plane shear flows. Phys. Rev. Lett. 81:4140–48
    [Google Scholar]
  75. Waleffe F, Wang J 2005. Transition threshold and the self-sustaining process. IUTAM Symposium on Laminar-Turbulent Transition and Finite Amplitude Solutions T Mullin, RR Kerswell85–106 Dordrecht, Neth.: Springer
    [Google Scholar]
  76. Whitham GB 1967. Nonlinear dispersion of water waves. J. Fluid Mech. 27:399–412
    [Google Scholar]
  77. Whitham GB 1974. Linear and Nonlinear Waves New York: Wiley
  78. Wilhelm J, Akylas TR, Boloni G, Wei J, Ribstein B et al. 2018. Interactions between mesoscale and submesoscale gravity waves and their efficient representation in mesoscale-resolving models. J. Atmos. Sci. 75:2257–80
    [Google Scholar]
  79. Yih CS 1963. Stability of liquid flow down an inclined plane. Phys. Fluids 6:321–34
    [Google Scholar]
  80. Zakharov VE 1968. Stability of periodic waves of finite amplitude on the surface of a deep fluid. J. Appl. Mech. Tech. Phys. 2:190–94
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-fluid-010518-040240
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-fluid-010518-040240
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error