
Triantaphyllos R Akylas
· ProfessorVerifiedMassachusetts Institute of Technology · Mechanical Engineering
Active 1980–2025
Research topics
- Mechanics
- Physics
- Optics
- Oceanography
- Geology
- Meteorology
- Geography
- Climatology
- Classical mechanics
- Quantum mechanics
- Environmental science
Selected publications
Exponential-asymptotics treatment of steady radiating waves from sources of finite strength
Physica D Nonlinear Phenomena · 2025-07-19 · 1 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingSteady Radiating Gravity waves: An Exponential Asymptotics Approach
Water Waves · 2024-01-15 · 4 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingAbstract The radiation of steady surface gravity waves by a uniform stream $$U_{0}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>U</mml:mi> <mml:mn>0</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:math> over locally confined (width $$L$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>L</mml:mi> </mml:math> ) smooth topography is analyzed based on potential flow theory. The linear solution to this classical problem is readily found by Fourier transforms, and the nonlinear response has been studied extensively by numerical methods. Here, an asymptotic analysis is made for subcritical flow $$D/\lambda > 1$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>D</mml:mi> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>λ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>></mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> in the low-Froude-number ( $$F^{2} \equiv \lambda /L \ll 1$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>F</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msup> <mml:mo>≡</mml:mo> <mml:mi>λ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>L</mml:mi> <mml:mo>≪</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> ) limit, where $$\lambda = U_{0}^{2} /g$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>λ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mi>U</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>0</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msubsup> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>g</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> is the lengthscale of radiating gravity waves and $$D$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>D</mml:mi> </mml:math> is the uniform water depth. In this regime, the downstream wave amplitude, although formally exponentially small with respect to $$F$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mi>F</mml:mi> </mml:math> , is determined by a fully nonlinear mechanism even for small topography amplitude. It is argued that this mechanism controls the wave response for a broad range of flow conditions, in contrast to linear theory which has very limited validity.
Nonlinear Kelvin wakes and exponential asymptotics
Physica D Nonlinear Phenomena · 2023-07-24 · 4 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingStability of internal gravity wave modes: from triad resonance to broadband instability
Journal of Fluid Mechanics · 2023-04-19 · 5 citations
article1st authorCorrespondingA theoretical study is made of the stability of propagating internal gravity wave modes along a horizontal stratified fluid layer bounded by rigid walls. The analysis is based on the Floquet eigenvalue problem for infinitesimal perturbations to a wave mode of small amplitude. The appropriate instability mechanism hinges on how the perturbation spatial scale relative to the basic-state wavelength, controlled by a parameter $\mu$ , compares to the basic-state amplitude parameter, $\epsilon \ll 1$ . For $\mu ={O}(1)$ , the onset of instability arises due to perturbations that form resonant triads with the underlying wave mode. For short-scale perturbations such that $\mu \ll 1$ but $\alpha =\mu /\epsilon \gg 1$ , this triad resonance instability reduces to the familiar parametric subharmonic instability (PSI), where triads comprise fine-scale perturbations with half the basic-wave frequency. However, as $\mu$ is further decreased holding $\epsilon$ fixed, higher-frequency perturbations than these two subharmonics come into play, and when $\alpha ={O}(1)$ Floquet modes feature broadband spectrum. This broadening phenomenon is a manifestation of the advection of small-scale perturbations by the basic-wave velocity field. By working with a set of ‘streamline coordinates’ in the frame of the basic wave, this advection can be ‘factored out’. Importantly, when $\alpha ={O}(1)$ PSI is replaced by a novel, multi-mode resonance mechanism which has a stabilising effect that provides an inviscid short-scale cut-off to PSI. The theoretical predictions are supported by numerical results from solving the Floquet eigenvalue problem for a mode-1 basic state.
Nonlinear Kelvin Wakes and Exponential Asymptotics
SSRN Electronic Journal · 2023-01-01
preprintOpen accessSenior authorNonlinear effects in steady radiating waves: An exponential asymptotics approach
Physica D Nonlinear Phenomena · 2022-03-31 · 7 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingInstabilities of finite-width internal wave beams: from Floquet analysis to PSI
Journal of Fluid Mechanics · 2021 · 13 citations
Senior authorCorresponding- Physics
- Mechanics
- Optics
Abstract
Near-inertial parametric subharmonic instability of internal wave beams in a background mean flow
Journal of Fluid Mechanics · 2021-02-01 · 5 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingAbstract
Modeling and Monitoring Weather and Climate Characteristics of the Red Sea Region
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society · 2021-10-01 · 3 citations
articleOpen accessLong-time dynamics of internal wave streaming
Journal of Fluid Mechanics · 2020-11-17 · 6 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingAbstract
Recent grants
Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Internal Wave Beams: Mathematical Models and Laboratory Experiments
NSF · $410k · 2015–2019
Nonlinear Analysis of Three-Dimensional Water-Wave Patterns via Exponential Asymptotics
NSF · $342k · 2020–2024
Nonlinear Wave Dynamics in Fluid Flows
NSF · $306k · 2006–2010
Dynamics of Nonlinear Internal Wave Beams in Stratified Flows
NSF · $107k · 2011–2015
Nonlinear Wave Dynamics in Stratified Flows
NSF · $181k · 2003–2007
Frequent coauthors
- 14 shared
Takeshi Kataoka
Kobe University
- 13 shared
Bruno Ribstein
ARIA Technologies
- 10 shared
Boyu Fan
- 10 shared
Ali Tabaei
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 9 shared
Jianke Yang
- 8 shared
Ulrich Achatz
- 7 shared
Yeunwoo Cho
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- 7 shared
Costantino De Angelis
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