SOOCHOW JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS

Volume 30, No. 1, pp. 91-101, January 2004

TRAVELLING AND PERIODIC WAVE SOLUTIONS
OF A CLASSICAL BOUSSINESQ SYSTEM
BY
M. INC
Abstract. In this paper, we use of the modied extended tanh-function and the
Jacobi elliptic function methods to obtain travelling wave and Jacobi doubly peri-
odic wave solutions for the classical Boussinesq system. In addition, the properties
of this equation shown with gures.
1. Introduction
The investigation of the travelling wave solutions play an important role
in nonlinear science. These solutions may well describe various phenomena in
nature, such as vibrations, solitons and propagation with a nite speed. The
wave phenomena observed in uid dynamics, plasma and elastic media. Vari-
ous methods for obtaining explicit travelling solitary wave solutions to nonlinear
evolution equations have been proposed. In recent years, directly searching for
exact solutions of nonlinear PDEs has become more and more attractive partly
due to the availability of computer symbolic systems like Maple or Mathematica
which allow us to perform some complicated and tedious algebraic calculation
on a computer, as well as help us to nd new exact solutions of PDEs ([1-8]).
One of most eectively straightforward methods to construct exact solution of
PDE is extended tanh-function method ([9-13]). Recently, Elwakil et al. [14, 15]
developed a modied extended tanh-function method for solving nonlinear PDEs.
Let us simply describe the modied extended tanh-function method.
Received April 1, 2003; revised September 1, 2003.
AMS Subject Classication. 35C05, 35Q51, 35B10.
Key words. modied extended tanh-function method, Jacobi elliptic function method, soli-
tary wave solution, nonlinear equation, periodic wave solution.
91
92 M. INC
For given a nonlinear equation
H (u, u
t
, u
x
, u
xx
, u
xt
, . . .) = 0, (1)
when we look for its travelling wave solutions, the rst step is to introduce the
wave transformation u = U () , = x + t and change (1) to an ordinary dier-
ential equation
H
_
U, U

, U

, . . .
_
= 0. (2)
The next crucial step is to introduce a new variable = () which is a solution
of the Riccati equation

= b +
2
, (3)
where b is a parameter to be determined, = () ,

= d/d. Then we
propose the following series expansion as a solution of (1):
u(x, t) = U () =
m

i=0
a
i

i
+
m

i=0
b
i

i
, (4)
where the positive integer m can be determined by balancing the highest deriva-
tive term with nonlinear terms in (2). Substituting (3) and (4) into (2) will get a
system of algebraic equations with respect to a
i
, b
i
, b and (where i = 0, 1, . . . , m)
because all the coecients of
i
have to vanish. With the aid of Mathematica, one
can determine a
i
, b
i
, b and . The Riccati equation (3) has the general solutions
=
_
_
_

b tanh
_

b
_

b coth
_

b
_ for b < 0, (5)
=
1

for b = 0, (6)
=
_
_
_

b tan
_

b
_

b cot
_

b
_ for b > 0. (7)
We now describe the Jacobi elliptic function method.
We again consider Eq.(2). The fact that the solutions of many nonlinear
equations can be expressed as a nite series of Jacobi elliptic sine, cosine and the
TRAVELLING AND PERIODIC WAVE SOLUTIONS 93
third kind of Jacobi elliptic functions expansions can be written as, respectively
[16-18]:
_

_
u() =
n

j=0
a
j
sn
j
,
u() =
n

j=0
b
j
cn
j
,
u() =
n

j=0
c
j
dn
j
.
(8)
Notice that the highest power order of U () is equal to n,
O(U ()) = n, (9)
and the highest power order of dU/d can be taken as
O
_
dU
d
_
= n + 1. (10)
We have
O
_
d
p
U
d
p
_
= n + p, p = 1, 2, 3, . . . , (11)
and
O
_
U
q
d
p
U
d
p
_
= (q + 1) n + p, q = 0, 1, 2, . . . , (12)
so n can be obtained by balancing the derivative term of the highest order with
the nonlinear term in Eq.(2). c, a
0
, . . . , a
n
; b
0
, b
1
, . . . , b
n
are parameters to be
determined. Substituting (8) into (2) will yield a set of algebraic equations for
c, a
0
, . . . , a
n
; b
0
, b
1
, . . . , b
n
because all coecients of sn
j
and cn
j
have to vanish.
From these relations, c, a
0
, . . . , a
n
; b
0
, b
1
, . . . , b
n
can be obtained. Therefore, the
travelling solitary wave solutions are obtained.
It is known that there are the following relations between elliptic functions:
cn
2
= 1 sin
2
, sn
2
+ cn
2
= 1,
dn
2
= 1 m
2
sn
2
,
d
d
sn = cndn, (13)
d
d
cn = sndn ,
d
d
dn = m
2
sncn,
where m is the modulus 0 < m < 1.
94 M. INC
When m 1, the Jacobi functions degenerate to the hyperbolic functions,
i.e.,
sn tanh , cn sec h , dn sec h. (14)
When m 0, the Jacobi functions degenerate to the triangular functions, i.e.,
sn sin , cn cos , dn 1. (15)
In [19], three sets of model equations are derived for modelling nonlinear and
dispersive long gravity waves travelling in two horizontal directions on shallow
waters of uniform depth. Omitting the higher order terms, one of these equations,
the Wu-Zhang (WZ) equation, can be written as
_

_
u
t
+ uu
x
+ vu
y
+ w
x
= 0,
v
t
+ uv
x
+ vv
y
+ w
y
= 0,
w
t
+ (uw)
x
+ (uw)
y
+
1
3
(u
3x
+ u
xyy
+ v
xxy
+ v
3y
) = 0,
(16)
where w 1 is the elevation of the water wave, u is the surface velocity of water
along the x direction, and v is the surface velocity of water along the y direction.
By scaling transformation and symmetry reduction, Eq.(16) can be reduced to
the (1+1)-dimensional dispersive long wave equation ([19-23])
_
v
t
+ vv
y
+ w
y
= 0,
w
t
+ (wu)
y
+
1
3
v
yyy
= 0.
(17)
A good understanding of all solutions of Eq.(16) is very helpful for coastal and
civil engineers to apply the nonlinear water wave model in a harbor and coastal
design. In [20], some special type soliton solutions for Eq.(16) is derived directly
by using the standard and nonstandard truncation of the WTCs approach and
the modied Contes invariant Painleve expansion for the WZ equation. In [21],
Zheng et al. obtain known solitary wave solutions, other new and more general
solutions of Eq.(17) by using the generalized extended tanh-function method with
a new ansatze. Zhang and Li [22] study bidirectional solitons on water of Eq.(17)
by using the Darboux transformation method. In this paper, we consider the
following classical Boussinesq system
_

t
+ [(1 + ) u]
x
+
1
4
u
xxx
= 0,
u
t
+ uu
x
+
x
= 0,
(18)
TRAVELLING AND PERIODIC WAVE SOLUTIONS 95
where is the elevation of water wave, and u is the surface velocity of water along
the xdirection ([24-26]). Li et al. [24] gave two basic Darboux transformations
of a spectral problem associated with the Broer-Kaup system and used them to
generate new solutions of the Eq.(18). Recently, Li and Zhang [25] presented
the third kind of Darboux transformation of Eq.(18) and they discussed its rela-
tionship with the two basic Darboux transformations. Thus, they obtained the
solutions of multiple soliton interactions. More recently, Zhang et al. [26] maked
a simple ansatz to the solutions for Eq.(18) and they obtained the general ex-
plicit solutions. Here we use the modied extended tanh-function and the Jacobi
elliptic function methods for obtaining new travelling wave and Jacobi doubly
periodic wave solutions of Eq.(18).
2. Travelling and Periodic Wave Solutions of Eq.(18)
To seek the travelling wave and Jacobi doubly periodic wave solutions of
Eq.(18). We make the travelling wave transformation (x, t) = (x) , u(x, t) =
U () , = x t and we change Eq.(18) into the form
() + U () () + U () +
1
4
U

() = 0, (19)
() U () +
1
2
U
2
() = 0, (20)
where the prime denotes d/d ([21]). Inserting Eq.(20) into Eq.(19) leads to an
ordinary dierential equation
3
2
U
2
()
1
2
U
3
()
2
U () + U () +
1
4
U

() = 0. (21)
Balancing U

with U
3
yields m = 1. Therefore, we have
U = a
0
+ a
1
+ b
0
+ b
1

1
. (22)
Substituting Eq.(22) into Eq.(21) and making use of Eq.(3), with the help of
Mathematica we get a system of algebraic equations for a
0
, a
1
, b
0
, b
1
, b and :
3
2
a
2
0
+ 3a
0
b
0
+ 3a
1
b
1
+
3
2
b
2
0

3
2
a
2
0
b
0

1
2
a
3
0
3a
1
b
1
a
0
3a
0
a
1
b
1

1
2
b
3
0

3
2
a
0
b
2
0

2
a
0

2
b
0
+ a
0
+ b
0
= 0,
96 M. INC
3a
0
a
1
+ 3a
1
b
0

3
2
a
1
b
2
0

3
2
a
2
1
b
1
3a
0
a
1
b
0

3
2
a
2
0
a
1
+ a
1
_
1
2
_
+
1
2
a
1
b = 0,
3a
0
b
1
+ 3b
0
b
1

3
2
b
1
a
2
0

1
2
b
3
1

3
2
a
1
b
2
0

3
2
b
2
0
b
1

3
2
a
1
b
2
1
3a
0
b
0
b
1

2
b
1
+ b
1
+
1
2
bb
1
= 0,
a
2
1
a
2
1
b
0
a
0
a
2
1
= 0, b
2
1
b
2
1
b
0
a
0
b
2
1
= 0,

1
2
a
3
1
+
1
2
a
1
= 0,
1
2
b
2
b
1
= 0.
From the out put of symbolic computation software Mathematica, we obtain
b = 0, a
1
= i, a
0
= b
0
and b
1
=
1
3
i
_

2
+ 1
_
, (23)
b = 0, b
0
= b
1
= 0, a
1
= i, a
0
=
1
3
_
2
1

_
, b =
1
3
_
4
4
16
2
+ 6 + 1
_
,
(24)
b = 0, b
0
= b
1
= 0, a
1
= i, a
0
= and b =
2
2, (25)
where b
0
and b are arbitrary constants. Since b is a arbitrary parameter, according
to (5)-(7) and (23)-(25), we obtain three kinds of travelling wave solutions for the
Eq.(18):
Soliton solutions with b < 0,
u
1
=
1
3
_
2
1

_
i

b tanh
_

b (x t)
_
, (26)
u
2
=
1
3
_
2
1

_
i

b coth
_

b (x t)
_
, (27)
where b =
1
3
_
4
4
16
2
+ 6 + 1
_
.
u
3
= i
_

2
+ 2 tanh
__

2
+ 2 (x t)
_
, (28)
u
4
= i
_

2
+ 2 coth
_
_

2
+ 2 (x t)
_
. (29)
Periodic solutions with b > 0,
u
5
=
1
3
_
2
1

_
i

b tan
_

b (x t)
_
, (30)
u
6
=
1
3
_
2
1

_
i

b cot
_

b (x t)
_
, (31)
TRAVELLING AND PERIODIC WAVE SOLUTIONS 97
where b =
1
3
_
4
4
16
2
+ 6 + 1
_
.
u
7
=
_

2
+ 2 tan
_
_

2
+ 2i (x t)
_
, (32)
u
8
=
_

2
+ 2 cot
__

2
+ 2i (x t)
_
. (33)
A rational solution with b = 0,
u
9
= b
0

i
_

2
+ 4
_
3 (x t)
. (34)
According to the Jacobi elliptic function method, we get the following Jacobi
doubly periodic wave solutions for Eq.(18):
u
10
=
_
1
2
_
1 + m
2
_
2
_
1/2
msn
_
x
_
1
2
_
1 + m
2
_
2
_
1/2
t
_
, (35)
u
11
=
_
1
2
_
1 2m
2
_
2
_
1/2
mcn
_
x
_
1
2
_
1 2m
2
_
2
_
1/2
t
_
, (36)
u
12
=
_
1
2
_
2 m
2
_
2
_
1/2
dn
_
x
_
1
2
_
2 m
2
_
2
_
1/2
t
_
, (37)
u
13
=
_

1
2
_
2 m
2
_
2
_
1/2
cs
_
x
_
1
2
_
2 m
2
_
2
_
1/2
t
_
. (38)
And (35)-(38) corresponding travelling wave solutions are
u
14
= i + tanh (x it) , (39)
u
15
=

3i + sec h
_
x

3it
_
, (40)
u
16
= i
_
5
2
csc h
_
x
_
3
2
it
_
. (41)
Remark. It is easily seen that u
1
, . . . , u
8
are like the solutions of Zheng et
al. [21] but these solutions are not the same. We knowledge, the obtained solu-
tions of Eq.(18), u
9
, u
14
, u
15
and u
16
were not found by the modied extended
tanh-function method ([14, 15]) and the generalized extended tanh-function
method ([21]). In addition, we obtain some new complex formal solutions and
Jacobi doubly periodic wave solutions in the paper. To compare the new for-
mal solutions for Eq.(18) with the known formal solutions, we draw some plots
98 M. INC
for some formal solutions of WZ equation (18). The properties of some formal
solutions are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The soliton and periodic wave solutions of Eq.(18), where = 1, 1.5.
TRAVELLING AND PERIODIC WAVE SOLUTIONS 99
Figure 2. The Jacobi doubly periodic wave solutions of Eq.(18).
3. Conclusions
In this paper, the modied extended tanh-function mathod and the Jacobi
elliptic function expansion method are applied to the classical Boussinesq system.
The aim to obtain travelling wave and Jacobi doubly periodic wave solutions of
this equation by using these methods have been achieved. In the fact, the present
methods are readily applicable to a large variety of such nonlinear equations. The
properties of the Jacobi doubly periodic wave solutions are shown in Figure 2.
Our present methods are very easy applied to both dierential equations and
linear or nonlinear dierential systems.
100 M. INC
References
[1] R. X. Yao and Z. B. Li, New solitary wave solutions for nonlinear evolution equations, Chin.
Phys., 11:9 (2002), 864-868.
[2] R. Hirota and J. Satsuma, Soliton solutions of a coupled Korteweg-de Vries equation, Phys.
Lett. A, 85:8 (1981), 407-408.
[3] M. J. Ablowitz and P. A. Clarkson, Solitons: Nonlinear Evolution Equations and Inverse
Scattering, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1991.
[4] Z. F. Zhang and F. M. Wu, B acklund transformation and multiple soliton solutions for the
(3 + 1)-dimensional Jimbo-Miwa equation, Chin. Phys., 11:5 (2002), 425-428.
[5] W. Hereman and M. Takaoka, Solitary wave solutions of nonlinear evolution and wave
equations using a direct method and MACSYMA, J. Phys. A, 23:21 (1990), 4805-4822.
[6] B. Q. Lu, B. Z. Xiu, Z. L. Pang and X. F. Jiang, Exact travelling wave solution of one class
of nonlinear diusion equation, Phys. Lett. A, 175:2 (1993), 113-115.
[7] E. G. Fan, Darboux transformationans soliton-like solutions for the Gerdjikov-Ivanov equa-
tion, J. Phys. A, 33:39 (2000), 6925-6933.
[8] P. J. Olver, Applications of Lie Groups to Dierential Equations, New York, Springer, 1990.
[9] X. Feng, Exploratory approach to explicit solution of nonlinear evolution equations, Intern.
J. Theor. Phys., 39:1 (2000), 207-222.
[10] E. G. Fan, Extended tanh-function method and its applications to nonlinear equations, Phys.
Lett. A, 277:4 (2000), 212-218.
[11] E. G. Fan, Soliton solutions for a generalized Hirota-Satsuma coupled KdV equation and a
coupled MKdV equation, Phys. Lett. A, 282:1 (2001), 18-22.
[12] E. J. Parkers and B. R. Duy, Travelling solitary wave solutions to a compound KdV-Burgers
equation, Phys. Lett. A, 229:4 (1997), 217-220.
[13] E. G. Fan, Travelling wave solutions for two generalized Hirota-Satsuma KdV systems, Z.
Naturforsch, 56a:3 (2001), 312-318.
[14] S. A. Elwakil, S. K. El-labany, M. A. Zahran and R. Sabry, Modied extended tanh-function
method for solving nonlinear PDEs, Phys. Lett. A, 299 (2002), 179-188.
[15] S. A. Elwakil, S. K. El-labany, M. A. Zahran and R. Sabry, Two new applications of the
modied extended tanh-function method, Z. Naturforsch, 58a:1 (2003), 1-8.
[16] E. G. Fan, A new algebraic method for nding the line soliton solutions and doubly periodic
wave solution to a two-dimensional perturbed KdV equation, Chaos, Solitons and Fractals,
15:3 (2003), 567-574.
[17] E. G. Fan, Uniformly constructing a series of explicit exact solutions to nonlinear equations
in mathematical physics, Chaos, Solitons and Fractals, 16:5 (2003), 819-839.
[18] E. G. Fan, Multiple travelling wave solutions of nonlinear evolution equations using a unied
algebraic method, J. Phys. A, 35:32 (2002), 6853-6872.
[19] T. Y. Wu and J. E. Zhang, In Mathematics is for Solving Problems, Philadephia, SIAM,
1996.
[20] C. L. Chen, X. Y. Tang and S. Y. Lou, Solutions of a (2 + 1)-dimensional dispersive long
wave equation, Phys. Rev. E, 66:036605 (2002), 1-9.
[21] X. Zheng, Y. Chen and H. Zhang, Generalized extended tanh-function method and its ap-
plication to (1 + 1)-dimensional dispersive long wave equation, Phys. Lett. A, 311 (2003),
145-157.
[22] E. J. Zhang, and Y. Li, Bidirectional solitons on water, Phys. Rev. E, 67:016306 (2003),
1-8.
TRAVELLING AND PERIODIC WAVE SOLUTIONS 101
[23] C. L. Chen and S. Y. Lou, Soliton excitations and periodic waves without dispersion relation
in shallow water system, Chaos, Solitons and Fractals, 16 (2003), 27-35.
[24] Y. Li, W. X. Ma and J. E. Zhang, Darboux transformations of classical Boussinesq system
and its new solutions, Phys. Lett A, 275:1 (2000), 60-66.
[25] Y. Li and J. E. Zhang, Darboux transformations of classical Boussinesq system and its multi
soliton solutions, Phys. Lett A, 284:6 (2001), 253-258.
[26] S. Q. Zhang, G. Q. Xu and Z. B. Li, General explicit solutions of a classical Boussinesq
system, Chin. Phys., 11:10 (2002), 993-995.
Department of Mathematics, Firat University, Elazig 23119 / TURKIYE.
E-mail: minc@rat.edu.tr