Compressible steady water waves

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the existence of small- and large-amplitude compressible water waves. These are solutions of the two-dimensional free boundary isentropic Euler equations subjected to a constant gravitational force and neglecting the effects of surface tension. We study periodic and solitary waves beneath vacuum as well as front-type solutions of the two-phase problem in a channel. Using local and global bifurcation techniques, we construct large families of these waves beginning at an incompressible solution and treating the Mach number (defined in a suitable sense) as the bifurcation parameter. This gives a rigorous version of the classical Janzen--Rayleigh expansion, but also furnishes solution curves that may limit to transsonic flow.