We study a class of discrete focusing nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equations (DNLS) with general nonlocal interactions. We prove the existence of onsite and offsite discrete solitary waves, which bifurcate from the trivial solution at the endpoint frequency of the continuous spectrum of linear dispersive waves. We also prove exponential smallness, in the frequency-distance to the bifurcation point, of the Peierls-Nabarro energy barrier (PNB), as measured by the difference in Hamiltonian or mass functionals evaluated on the onsite and offsite states. These results extend those of the authors for the case of nearest neighbor interactions to a large class of nonlocal short-range and long-range interactions. The appearance of distinct onsite and offsite states is a consequence of the breaking of continuous spatial translation invariance. The PNB plays a role in the dynamics of energy transport in such nonlinear Hamiltonian lattice systems.
Our class of nonlocal interactions is defined in terms of coupling coefficients, $J_m$, where $m\in\mathbb{Z}$ is the lattice site index, with $J_m\simeq m^{-1-2s}, s\in[1,\infty)$ and $J_m\sim e^{-γ|m|},\ s=\infty,\ γ>0,$ (Kac-Baker). For $s\ge1$, the bifurcation is seeded by solutions of the (effective / homogenized) cubic focusing nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equation (NLS). However, for $1/4<s<1$, the bifurcation is controlled by the fractional nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equation, FNLS, with $(-Δ)^s$ replacing $-Δ$. The proof is based on a Lyapunov-Schmidt reduction strategy applied to a momentum space formulation. The PN barrier bounds require appropriate uniform decay estimates for the discrete Fourier transform of DNLS discrete solitary waves. A key role is also played by non-degeneracy of the ground state of FNLS, recently proved by Frank, Lenzmann \& Silvestre.
We construct multiple families of solitary standing waves of the discrete cubically nonlinear Schrödinger equation (DNLS) in dimensions $d=1,2$ and $3$. These states are obtained via a bifurcation analysis about the continuum (NLS) limit. One family consists {\it on-site symmetric} (vertex-centered) states; these are spatially localized solitary standing waves which are symmetric about any fixed lattice site. The other spatially localized states are {\it off-site symmetric}. Depending on the spatial dimension, these may be bond-centered, cell-centered, or face-centered. Finally, we show that t…
In this paper we study the relaxation process of Peierls-Nabarro dislocation model, which is a gradient flow with singular nonlocal energy and double well potential describing how the materials relax to its equilibrium with the presence of a dislocation. We prove the dynamic solution to Peierls-Nabarro model will converge exponentially to a shifted steady profile which is uniquely determined.
We study the well-posedness of the vector-field Peierls-Nabarro model for curved dislocations with a double well potential and a bi-states limit at far field. Using the Dirichlet to Neumann map, the 3D Peierls-Nabarro model is reduced to a nonlocal scalar Ginzburg-Landau equation. We derive an integral formulation of the nonlocal operator, whose kernel is anisotropic and positive when Poisson's ratio $ν\in(-\frac12, \frac13)$. We then prove that any bounded stable solutions to this nonlocal scalar Ginzburg-Landau equation has a 1D profile, which corresponds to the PDE version of flatness resul…
For the nonlinear Klein-Gordon type models, we describe a general method of discretization in which the static kink can be placed anywhere with respect to the lattice. These discrete models are therefore free of the {\it static} Peierls-Nabarro potential. Previously reported models of this type are shown to belong to a wider class of models derived by means of the proposed method. A relevant physical consequence of our findings is the existence of a wide class of discrete Klein-Gordon models where slow kinks {\it practically} do not experience the action of the Peierls-Nabarro potential. Such …
A discrete Klein-Gordon model with asymmetric potential that supports kinks free of the Peierls-Nabarro potential (PNp) is constructed. Undamped ratchet of kinks under harmonic AC driving force is investigated in this model numerically and contrasted with the kink ratchets in the conventional discrete model where kinks experience the PNp. We show that the PNp-free kinks exhibit ratchet dynamics very much different from that reported for the conventional lattice kinks which experience PNp [see, e.g., Phys. Rev. E {\bf 73}, 066621 (2006)]. Particularly, we could not observe any significant influ…
The theory of the dislocation motion in the periodic potential relief of the crystal lattice (the Peierls-Nabarro barriers) is reviewed. On the basis of the kink mechanism the temperature dependence of the flow stress is described for a wide class of materials. The theory of quantum mechanical dislocation tunnelling through the Peierls-Nabarro barriers is extended and compared with experimental data on the plasticity of alkali halides, BCC and HCP metals at low temperatures. The behavior of the flow stress at the range of athermic anomalies is modeled by changing the mechanism of the dislocati…
A discrete phi^4 system is proposed which preserves the topological lower bound on the kink energy. Existence of static kink solutions saturating this lower bound and occupying any position relative to the lattice is proved. Consequently, kinks of the model experience no Peierls-Nabarro barrier, and can move freely through the lattice without being pinned. Numerical simulations reveal that kink dynamics in this system is significantly less dissipative than that of the conventional discrete phi^4 system, so that even on extremely coarse lattices the kink behaves much like its continuum counterp…
The Peierls-Nabarro barrier is a discrete effect that frequently occurs in discrete nonlinear systems. A signature of the barrier is the slowing and eventual stopping of discrete solitary waves. This work examines intense electromagnetic waves propagating through a periodic honeycomb lattice of helically-driven waveguides, which serves as a paradigmatic Floquet topological insulator. Here it is shown that discrete topologically protected edge modes do not suffer from the typical slowdown associated with the Peierls-Nabarro barrier. Instead, as a result of their topological nature, the modes al…
A resonance in phonons scattering off a kink in the absence of a Peierls-Nabarro potential
Alikhanyan National Laboratory (Yerevan Physics Institute)（阿里哈尼扬国家实验室（耶烈万物理研究所））；School of Mathematics and Statistics, Carleton University（卡尔顿大学数学与统计学院）；Department of Physics, Qu.C., Islamic Azad University, Quchan, Iran（伊朗库昌伊斯兰阿扎德大学物理系）
We propose a generalization of the discrete Klein-Gordon models free of the Peierls-Nabarro barrier derived in Nonlinearity {\bf 12}, 1373 (1999) and Phys. Rev. E {\bf 72}, 035602(R) (2005), such that they support not only kinks but a one-parameter set of exact static solutions. These solutions can be obtained iteratively from a two-point nonlinear map whose role is played by the discretized first integral of the static Klein-Gordon field, as suggested in J. Phys. A {\bf 38}, 7617 (2005). We then discuss some discrete $ϕ^4$ models free of the Peierls-Nabarro barrier and identify for them the f…
We address the problem of directional mobility of discrete solitons in two-dimensional rectangular lattices, in the framework of a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger model with saturable on-site nonlinearity. A numerical constrained Newton-Raphson method is used to calculate two-dimensional Peierls-Nabarro energy surfaces, which describe a pseudopotential landscape for the slow mobility of coherent localized excitations, corresponding to continuous phase-space trajectories passing close to stationary modes. Investigating the two-parameter space of the model through independent variations of the no…
We derive a class of discrete nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger (DNLS) equations for general polynomial nonlinearity whose stationary solutions can be found from a reduced two-point algebraic problem. It is demonstrated that the derived class of discretizations contains subclasses conserving classical norm or a modified norm and classical momentum. These equations are interesting from the physical standpoint since they support stationary discrete solitons free of the Peierls-Nabarro potential. As a consequence, even in highly-discrete regimes, solitons are not trapped by the lattice and they can be acce…
The two major effects observed in collisions of the continuum $ϕ^4$ kinks are (i) the existence of critical collision velocity above which the kinks always emerge from the collision and (ii) the existence of the escape windows for multi-bounce collisions with the velocity below the critical one, associated with the energy exchange between the kink's internal and translational modes. The potential merger (for sufficiently low collision speeds) of the kink and antikink produces a bion with oscillation frequency $ω_B$, which constantly radiates energy, since its higher harmonics are always within…
When a self-localized quasiparticle excitation propagates along a discrete one dimensional lattice, it becomes subject to a dissipation that converts the kinetic energy into lattice vibrations. Eventually the kinetic energy does no longer enable the excitation to cross over the minimum energy barrier between neighboring sites, and the excitation becomes localized within a lattice cell. In the case of a protein, the lattice structure consists of the C-alpha backbone. The self-localized quasiparticle excitation is the elemental building block of loops. It can be modeled by a kink which solves a …
We investigate the mobility of nonlinear localized modes in a generalized discrete Ginzburg-Landau type model, describing a one-dimensional waveguide array in an active Kerr medium with intrinsic, saturable gain and damping. It is shown that exponentially localized, traveling discrete dissipative breather-solitons may exist as stable attractors supported only by intrinsic properties of the medium, i.e., in absence of any external field or symmetry-breaking perturbations. Through an interplay by the gain and damping effects, the moving soliton may overcome the Peierls-Nabarro barrier, present i…
We address the impact of nonlocality in the physical features exhibited by solitons supported by Kerr-type nonlinear media with an imprinted optical lattice. We discover that nonlocality of nonlinear response can profoundly affect the soliton mobility, hence all the related phenomena. Such behavior manifests itself in significant reductions of the Peierls-Nabarro potential with increase of the degree of nonlocality, a result that opens the rare possibility in nature of almost radiationless propagation of highly localized solitons across the lattice.
A class of discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equations with arbitrarily high order nonlinearities is introduced. These equations are derived from the same Hamiltonian using different Poisson brackets and include as particular cases the saturable discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation and the Ablowitz-Ladik equation. As a common property, these equations possess three kinds of exact analytical stationary solutions for which the Peierls-Nabarro barrier is zero. Several properties of these solutions, including stability, discrete breathers and moving solutions, are investigated.
Exact solutions to a nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger lattice with a saturable nonlinearity are reported. For finite lattices we find two different standing-wave-like solutions, and for an infinite lattice we find a localized soliton-like solution. The existence requirements and stability of these solutions are discussed, and we find that our solutions are linearly stable in most cases. We also show that the effective Peierls-Nabarro barrier potential is nonzero thereby indicating that this discrete model is quite likely nonintegrable.
We discuss the process by which energy, initially evenly distributed in a nonlinear lattice, can localize itself into large amplitude excitations. We show that, the standard modulational instability mechanism, which can initiate the process by the formation of small amplitude breathers, is completed efficiently, in the presence of discreteness, by energy exchange mechanisms between the nonlinear excitations which favor systematically the growth of the larger excitations. The process is however self regulated because the large amplitude excitations are finally trapped by the Peierls-Nabarro pot…
A new 1-D discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) Hamiltonian is introduced which includes the integrable Ablowitz-Ladik system as a limit. The symmetry properties of the system are studied. The relationship between intrinsic localized states and the soliton of the Ablowitz-Ladik NLS is discussed. It is pointed out that a staggered localized state can be viewed as a particle of a {\em negative} effective mass. It is shown that staggered localized states can exist in the discrete dark NLS. The motion of localized states and Peierls-Nabarro pinning are studied.
We consider standing lattice solitons for discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation with saturation (NLSS), where so-called transparent points were recently discovered. These transparent points are the values of the governing parameter (e.g., the lattice spacing) for which the Peierls-Nabarro barrier vanishes. In order to explain the existence of transparent points, we study a solitary wave solution in the continuous NLSS and analyse the singularities of its analytic continuation in the complex plane. The existence of a quadruplet of logarithmic singularities nearest to the real axis is proven a…
A new class of 1D discrete nonlinear Schr${\ddot{\rm{o}}}$dinger Hamiltonians with tunable nonlinerities is introduced, which includes the integrable Ablowitz-Ladik system as a limit. A new subset of equations, which are derived from these Hamiltonians using a generalized definition of Poisson brackets, and collectively refered to as the N-AL equation, is studied. The symmetry properties of the equation are discussed. These equations are shown to possess propagating localized solutions, having the continuous translational symmetry of the one-soliton solution of the Ablowitz-Ladik nonlinear Sch…
We study the mobility of solitons in second-harmonic-generating lattices. Contrary to what is known for their cubic counterparts, discrete quadratic solitons are mobile not only in the one-dimensional (1D) setting, but also in two dimensions (2D). We identify parametric regions where an initial kick applied to a soliton leads to three possible outcomes, namely, staying put, persistent motion, or destruction. For the 2D lattice, it is found that, for the solitary waves, the direction along which they can sustain the largest kick and can attain the largest speed is the diagonal. Basic dynamical …
We study the bulk and surface nonlinear modes of the modified one-dimensional discrete nonlinear Schroedinger (mDNLS) equation. A linear and a modulational stability analysis of the lowest-order modes is carried out. While for the fundamental bulk mode there is no power threshold, the fundamental surface mode needs a minimum power level to exist. Examination of the time evolution of discrete solitons in the limit of strongly localized modes, suggests ways to manage the Peierls- Nabarro barrier, facilitating in this way a degree of steering. The long-time propagation of an initially localized e…
Chiral liquid crystals exhibit in-plane spontaneous polarizations, however in their smectic phase the primary order parameter is a tilt vector associated with molecular rotations around the long molecular axis parallel to the director. The molecular rotations lead to several distinct phases among which a domain-wall texture with a periodic-kink soliton profile. In this study the formation of domain walls in smectic chiral liquid crystals is analyzed, with emphasis on the competition between ising-type symmetric and antisymmetric nearest-neighbor interactions, and an in-plane electric field. It…
We develop a general mapping from given kink or pulse shaped travelling-wave solutions including their velocity to the equations of motion on one-dimensional lattices which support these solutions. We apply this mapping - by definition an inverse method - to acoustic solitons in chains with nonlinear intersite interactions, to nonlinear Klein-Gordon chains, to reaction-diffusion equations and to discrete nonlinear Schrödinger systems. Potential functions can be found in at least a unique way provided the pulse shape is reflection symmetric and pulse and kink shapes are at least $C^2$ functions…
We study the existence, stability, and mobility of fundamental discrete solitons in two- and three-dimensional nonlinear Schroedinger lattices with a combination of cubic self-focusing and quintic self-defocusing onsite nonlinearities. Several species of stationary solutions are constructed, and bifurcations linking their families are investigated using parameter continuation starting from the anti-continuum limit, and also with the help of a variational approximation. In particular, a species of hybrid solitons, intermediate between the site- and bond-centered types of the localized states (w…
We study effects of Kac-Baker long-range dispersive interaction (LRI) between particles on kink properties in the discrete sine-Gordon model. We show that the kink width increases indefinitely as the range of LRI grows only in the case of strong interparticle coupling. On the contrary, the kink becomes intrinsically localized if the coupling is under some critical value. Correspondingly, the Peierls-Nabarro barrier vanishes as the range of LRI increases for supercritical values of the coupling but remains finite for subcritical values. We demonstrate that LRI essentially transforms the interna…
We study topological solitary waves (kinks and antikinks) in a nonlinear one-dimensional Klein-Gordon chain with the on-site potential of a double-Morse type. This chain is used to describe the collective proton dynamics in quasi-one-dimensional networks of hydrogen bonds, where the on-site potential plays role of the proton potential in the hydrogen bond. The system supports a rich variety of stationary kink solutions with different symmetry properties. We study the stability and bifurcation structure of all these stationary kink states. An exactly solvable model with a piecewise ``parabola-c…
We demonstrate a simple method for controlling nonlinear switching of discrete solitons in arrays of weakly coupled optical waveguides, for both cubic and uadratic nonlinearities. Based on the effective discrete nonlinear equations describing the waveguide arrays in the tight-binding approximation, we develop the concept of the array engineering by means of a step-like variation of the waveguide coupling. We demonstrate the digitized switching of a narrow input beam for up to eleven neighboring waveguides, in the case of the cubic nonlinearity, and up to ten waveguides, in the case of quadrati…
We study the scattering of a moving discrete breather (DB) on a junction in a Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) chain consisting of two segments with different masses of the particles. We consider four distinct cases: (i) a light-heavy (abrupt) junction in which the DB impinges on the junction from the segment with lighter mass, (ii) a heavy-light junction, (iii) an up mass-ramp in which the mass in the heavier segment increases continuously as one moves away from the junction point, and (iv) a down mass-ramp. Depending on the mass difference and DB characteristics (frequency and velocity), the DB can ei…
The question whether a nonlinear localized mode (discrete soliton/breather) can be mobile in a lattice has a standard interpretation in terms of the Peierls-Nabarro (PN) potential barrier. For the most commonly studied cases, the PN barrier for strongly localized solutions becomes large, rendering these essentially immobile. Several ways to improve the mobility by reducing the PN-barrier have been proposed during the last decade, and the first part gives a brief review of such scenarios in 1D and 2D. We then proceed to discuss two recently discovered novel mobility scenarios. The first example…
