Solitary-wave solutions of the Benjamin equation

Considered here is a model equation put forward by Benjamin that governs approximately the evolution of waves on the interface of a two-fluid system in which surface-tension effects cannot be ignored. Our principal focus is the traveling-wave solutions called solitary waves, and three aspects will be investigated. A constructive proof of the existence of these waves together with a proof of their stability is developed. Continuation methods are used to generate a scheme capable of numerically approximating these solitary waves. The computer-generated approximations reveal detailed aspects of the structure of these waves. They are symmetric about their crests, but unlike the classical Korteweg-de Vries solitary waves, they feature a finite number of oscillations. The derivation of the equation is also revisited to get an idea of whether or not these oscillatory waves might actually occur in a natural setting.