Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2510.19837

Phase-Space Analysis of Elastic Vector Solitons in Flexible Mechanical Metamaterials

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to propose a revised continuum model from the discrete system introduced in [Deng et.al., PRL, 2017] . Using a Galilean transformation, we obtain an equation governing the soliton solutions in the phase plane - a second-order nonlinear ODE related to the Klein-Gordon equation with quadratic nonlinearity. These admit the well-known $\mathrm{sech}^2$ solutions, which we employ as an ansätz following [Deng et.al., PRL, 2017]. The resulting analysis yields soliton amplitudes and velocities that agree closely with numerical simulations, achieving an improvement of exactly 1/9 relative to the benchmark reported by the Harvard group.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

M. H. Duong, M. J. Reynolds. 2025-10-17. Phase-Space Analysis of Elastic Vector Solitons in Flexible Mechanical Metamaterials. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.19837

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Routes to chaos in a mass-conserving two-species reaction-diffusion model

Mass-conserving reaction-diffusion systems with two species correspond to a seemingly simple case where pattern formation occurs under the influence of a conservation law. Here, we first revisit their linear stability behavior and point out that generically two instabilities can occur: a stationary large-scale mass-conserving (Cahn-Hilliard) instability and an instability that combines features of a stationary large-scale non-mass-conserving (Allen-Cahn) instability and a oscillatory large-scale mass-conserving (conserved-Hopf) instability. We term it an Allen-Cahn-Hopf instability. Second, we investigate the nonlinear dynamics for a specific model related to the formation of cell polarization where only a Cahn-Hilliard instability can occur, i.e., all primary bifurcations are stationary. We analyze how secondary and further bifurcations subsequently give rise to various oscillatory states. The emerging rich spectrum of spatiotemporal behavior includes several period-doubling cascades related to different forms of spatial and temporal symmetry breaking. Beside regular states, three types of low-dimensional spatiotemporal chaos occur and involve transitions like fusion and an outer crises. Our results demonstrate the importance of nonlinear interactions in the dynamics of mass-conserving reaction-diffusion systems, and show that even a simple two-species system with primary bifurcations of Cahn-Hilliard type can show complex spatiotemporal behavior.

nlin.PS

Duck hunting with quantum mechanics

We bridge two sides of singular perturbation theory: the classical theory of slow-fast systems and the semi-classical approach to quantum mechanical systems. For a specific but physically important class of dynamical systems, we show that purely classical and exotic objects, so-called canard solutions, are shadows of instantons in the corresponding quantum system. We demonstrate that canard solutions exist in a domain of parameter space whose boundaries are determined by an instanton action. We illustrate our statements analytically for the relevant example, the overdamped Josephson junction, and confirm them numerically. For the Josephson junction, the canard window is the exponentially narrow gap between consecutive Shapiro steps.

nlin.PS