Experiments on leapfrogging internal solitary waves

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Abstract
Experiments on the resonant energy transfer between internal gravity-wave solitons travelling along neighbouring pycnoclines have been performed. Measurements of both amplitude and phase oscillations are found to be in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions given in the companion paper by Liu, Pereira & KO (1982). Using averaged quantities to account approximately for wave-energy dissipation, the theoretical expression correlating the oscillation frequency with the density environ- ment parameters is reasonably well verified. A new three-soliton resonance requiring both upstream and downstream energy transfer has also been observed.