On Boussinesq's paradigm in nonlinear wave propagation

Boussinesq's original derivation of his celebrated equation for surface waves on a fluid layer opened up new horizons that were to yield the concept of the soliton. The present contribution concerns the set of Boussinesq-like equations under the general title of ‘Boussinesq's paradigm’. These are true bi-directional wave equations occurring in many physical instances and sharing analogous properties. The emphasis is placed: (i) on generalized Boussinesq systems that involve higher-order linear dispersion through either additional space derivatives or additional wave operators (so-called double-dispersion equations); and (ii) on the ‘mechanics’ of the most representative localized nonlinear wave solutions. Dissipative cases and two-dimensional generalizations are also considered. To cite this article: C.I. Christov et al., C. R. Mecanique 335 (2007).