Library / English Dictionary

SOLITARY WAVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

(physics) a quantum of energy or quasiparticle that can be propagated as a traveling wave in nonlinear systems and is neither preceded nor followed by another such disturbance; does not obey the superposition principle and does not dissipate

Example:

soliton waves can travel long distances with little loss of energy or structure

Synonyms:

solitary wave; soliton; soliton wave

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("solitary wave" is a kind of...):

traveling wave; travelling wave (a wave in which the medium moves in the direction of propagation of the wave)

Domain category:

natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)

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