Laserfiche WebLink
<br />SOLITON <br /> <br />\1 you disturb a pool of water, the disturbance spreads out and soon dissipates. Gather <br />up some water and try to make a mound, it simply flows away. We are so used to <br />these results that we consider they are natural, however they are not always true. <br /> <br />In water certain disturbances can produce a wave which rolls on with a constant shape <br />and speed, These unusual solitary waves are called solitons, <br /> <br />"SOLITONS; A Term Which Can Be Applied To Any Type Of Wave Which Retains <br />Its Form" <br /> <br />Solitons in water include tidal bores in the River Severn in Britain, and in the Amazon <br />River where bores of 25 feet have travelled 500 miles. Tidal bores are found all over <br />the world. The most extreme water soliton is the Tsunami, which is formed by strong <br />seismic shocks on the ocean floor. These waves move at high speed, and when they <br />hit land they can do extensive damage. in Japan in 1702 one hundred thousand <br />peo?~e,!"e':.e _drowned, Sollton~ are a rare but ncrmalD.ccurrence..il++latur-e.-- _n - -" - - - - <br /> <br />The red spot on Jupiter (and several other features) are now understood to be <br />solitons. Jupiter's red spot is about the size of Earth, One surprising feature is that <br />two solitons can pass through each other, without losing their individual character, <br />This has been observed on Jupiter, as well as on Earth, <br /> <br />The manner in which nerves carry their messages to the brain is another form of <br />soliton. A sharp pulse or wave passes along a seemingly uniform tube, the nerve, <br />without spreading out and losing strength. <br /> <br />In acoustics, somewhere above a sound level of 150 dB solitons form which retain <br />their form for at least several kilometres. The evidence for that is that they can be <br />observed, and can be heard to travel for long distances, <br /> <br />The underlying-eause for solitons is behaviour of the medium which carries the wave. <br />When a sharp pulse of energy is introduced, different parts inherently travel off at <br />different speeds. However at higher energy levels these parts often interact so that the <br />faster parts are restrained enough to form a wave which keeps its form until most of the <br />energy is drained out of it. <br /> <br />11 <br /> <br />Copyright ~ 1996 <br />