DIFFRACTION OF NONLINEAR WATER WAVES.

The nonlinear Schroedinger equation derived by P. L. -F Liu and T. -K. Tsay is employed to investigate the forward scattering of Stokes waves. Two problems are studied theoretically and numerically. The interaction between Stokes waves and a thin wedge installed on a uniform mild slope is examined first. It is shown that, due to nonlinearity, stem waves develop not only along the wall of the wedge but also in the region where the interaction between incident and reflected waves is significantly strong. In the second example, numerical experiments are performed for the forward diffraction of Stokes waves by a depth discontinuity. Stem waves develop along a line caustic.