A new equation describing travelling water waves

Abstract

AbstractA new single equation for the surface elevation of a travelling water wave in an incompressible, inviscid, irrotational fluid is derived. This new equation is derived without approximation from Euler’s equations, valid for both a one- and two-dimensional travelling-wave surface. We show that this new formulation can be used to efficiently derive higher-order Stokes-wave approximations, and pose that this new formulation provides a useful framework for further investigation of travelling water waves.