Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2605.18997

Periodic and quasiperiodic traveling waves in nonlinear lattices with odd elasticity

Abstract

Discrete nonlinear systems support a rich variety of localized and extended wave phenomena, with their dynamics sensitively dependent on the symmetries of the underlying interaction forces within the lattice. Odd elasticity, emerging in effective models of active materials, breaks the action-reaction symmetry of the local interactions and gives rise to new wave behavior. We investigate the existence and stability of traveling waves in a nonlinear lattice with odd elasticity, where the coupling force between adjacent units depends asymmetrically on the deformations of the coupled units (nonreciprocal elastic coupling). We demonstrate the existence of periodic and quasiperiodic traveling waves and analyze their spectral stability using the master stability framework. In particular, we identify the onset of Eckhaus instability based on the curvature of the associated master stability curve. This approach enables a quantitative analysis of size effects, specifically the bounds on lattice sizes for which a given traveling wave is stable. The stability analysis for quasiperiodic waves is based on an effective description of the envelope of the response through a rotating wave approximation, which agrees well with direct numerical simulations. Our findings establish a unified framework for understanding wave propagation characteristics in nonlinear lattices, for both periodic and quasiperiodic wave profiles. We highlight, qualitatively and quantitatively, the role of nonreciprocal stiffness on the existence and stability of nonlinear traveling waves in dissipative systems, and discuss how localization and stability depend on the interplay between nonlinearity, dissipation and odd elasticity.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Andrus Giraldo, Stefan Ruschel, Behrooz Yousefzadeh. 2026-05-18. Periodic and quasiperiodic traveling waves in nonlinear lattices with odd elasticity. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.18997

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

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Vegetation Pattern Formation with an Energy-Mismatch Variational Closure

We study a vegetation-water model motivated by a canopy energy mismatch. Vegetation follows the gradient of a score that rewards biomass and penalizes the squared mismatch, while water obeys a quasi-steady balance. For a fixed interaction kernel, the linear growth rate about positive uniform vegetation splits into a fixed-water term and a water-feedback term. The fixed-water term is real, even in wavenumber, and equal to a constant minus a squared modulus, including when the kernel is asymmetric. All linear phase propagation enters through water feedback. A second-order expansion of the kernel gives a fourth-order vegetation equation, for which we derive finite-wavenumber growth criteria and corrections from state-dependent spatial coefficients. The short-wave damping and fastest-growing scales of this truncated model require separate justification as approximations to a specified kernel. A numerical dispersion example illustrates the growth and phase velocity of its linear modes. The model creates biomass on bare ground throughout the rainfall range illustrated here, including zero rainfall. At some smooth nonnegative states, the vegetation growth rate is negative where biomass vanishes. These features limit its ecological interpretation.

nlin.PS

Two-Parameter Family of Nonlinear Dirac Equations With Scalar-Scalar plus Vector-Vector Interactions

We obtain exact solutions of the nonlinear Dirac equation in $1+1$ dimensions of the form $ψ(x,t) = e^{-iωt} ψ(x)$ for scalar-scalar (SS) plus vector-vector (VV) interaction with interaction Lagrangian given by $$L_{I} = \frac{g^2}{κ+1}[(\barψ ψ)^{κ+1} +\frac{1}{p} (\barψ γ_μψ\barψ γ^μ ψ)^{κ+1}]$$ where $p > 0$ but arbitrary otherwise. We look for solutions with $0 < ω< m$ where $ω, m$ are frequency and mass, respectively. We find solutions for all values of $ω$ in this range. We compute the charge $Q$ and the energy $E$ for each of the solitary wave solutions and explore the region in the ($p, κ$) parameter space in which solitary wave bound states exist (i.e., for which $E/Q < m$). We show that for all the cases while both $E$ and $Q$ depend on the coupling constant $g$, their ratio $E/Q$ is independent of $g$. We further find that in case $pκ\le 1$, the charge density for all the solitary waves have only single hump while for $p κ> 1$ there is a transition from double to single hump and we determine it as a function of $ω/m$. We notice that for all $p$ there is a transition at $κ=2$ in the behavior of $E/Q$ as a function of $ω$ which we speculate is related to the onset of instability of the solutions at $κ=2$. We obtain the nonrelativistic reduction of the two-parameter family to a non-relativistic modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) and discuss the stability of the single hump olitary waves in the domain of validity of the modified NLSE.

nlin.PS

The Origin of Imperfection Sensitivity in the Buckling of Cylindrical Shells

Buckling of thin cylindrical shells under axial compression, a classical example of a subcritical instability, is highly sensitive to small imperfections, with minute geometric variations causing large changes in buckling threshold. To uncover the origin of this sensitivity, we use numerical continuation and bifurcation analysis while systematically varying the depth and size of a single localized Gaussian defect. We show that the instabilities of the imperfect shell originate from localized equilibria already present in the perfect shell. By breaking translation symmetry, the defect pins these equilibria and changes how they connect to the imperfect base state. Small changes in defect geometry can thereby switch the bifurcation that triggers buckling, producing non-monotonic and discontinuous changes in buckling threshold and abrupt changes in buckling mode. Imperfection sensitivity is therefore not simply sensitivity to imperfection magnitude, but sensitivity of the underlying bifurcation structure to imperfection geometry.

nlin.PS