In mathematics and physics, a solitary wave can refer to
- The solitary wave (water waves) or wave of translation, as observed by John Scott Russell in 1834, the prototype for a soliton.
- A soliton, a generalization of the wave of translation to general systems of partial differential equations
- A topological defect, a generalization of the idea of a soliton to any system which is stable against decay due to homotopy theory
Famous quotes containing the words solitary and/or wave:
“A solitary traveller can sleep from state to state, from day to night, from day to day, in the long womb of its controlled interior. It is the cradle that never stops rocking after the lullaby is over. It is the biggest sleeping tablet in the world, and no one need ever swallow the pill, for it swallows them.”
—Lisa St. Aubin de Terán (b. 1953)
“Through the dark cold and the empty desolation,
The wave cry, the wind cry, the vast waters
Of the petrel and the porpoise. In my end is my beginning.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)