Evolution of higher-order gray Hirota solitary waves

Abstract

The defocusing Hirota equation has dark and gray soliton solutions which are stable on a background of periodic waves of constant amplitude. In this paper, gray solitary wave evolution for a higher-order defocusing Hirota equation is examined. A direct analysis is used to identify families of higher-order gray Hirota solitary waves, which are embedded for certain parameter values. Soliton perturbation theory is used to determine the detailed behavior of an evolving higher-order gray Hirota solitary wave. An integral expression for the first-order correction to the wave is found and analytical expressions for the steady-state and transient components of the solitary wave tail are derived. A s..