John Scott Russell, Fermi Pasta Ulam, and the Straits of Gibraltar: A History of Solitions

Amy Kolan
Physics Professor
St. Olaf College

A soliton is a solitary wave that travels without change in form.  But don’t be fooled; the soliton is not an esoteric topic in the theory of fluid dynamics.  Instead, it is a phenomenon that has provided a key to unlocking some of the most difficult problems in mathematics and physics.

In this talk I will follow the history of the soliton from John Scott Russell’s first observation of a solitary wave in Union Canal near Edinburgh to the use of solitons in optical fibers.  Come hear about the contributions of Airy, Stokes, Lord Rayleigh, Fermi. Ulam, Metropolis, (and more) to the development of soliton theory.  Anyone who would like to participate in a soliton collision demonstration, please contact me!