The theory of wave interactions aims at describing the dynamical and statistical properties of a weakly nonlinear wave system. Dynamical characteristics are used to describe phenomena occuring due to interactions of a small number of harmonics, e.g. Bernard convection or Benjamin-Feir instability. Statistical approach (usually called wave turbulence theory) is used for describing energy distribution over scales in the wave systems with distributed initial state. These systems occur in oceanology, optics, plasmas, etc. and their energy spectra are described by solutions of wave kinetic equation first introduced by Klaus Hasselmann in 1962.
In the following 50 years a great progress has been achieved in the theoretical understanding of statistically described wave systems. However, controlled experiments specifically designed to study wave interactions and turbulence are relatively scarce, and there is still a lot of open problems demanding detailed studies. The principal idea of the workshop is to discuss and put forward a list of regularly observable wave interaction phenomena which are not fully explained by the existing theories thus opening new avenues for further investigations. The list may include the following topics:
classical and novel models of wave turbulence
conditions for the formation of freak waves
role of Benjamin-Feir instabilty
influence of narrow frequency band excitation on the form of energy spectra
origin of the energy condensate in the large scale part of the wave spectra etc. etc.
Forschungs-