A Rich Example of Geometrically Induced Nonlinearity: From Rotobreathers and Kinks to Moving Localized Modes and Resonant Energy Transfer

Abstract

We present an experimentally realizable, simple mechanical system with linear interactions whose geometric nature leads to nontrivial, nonlinear dynamical equations. The equations of motion are derived and their ground state structures are analyzed. Selective ``static'' features of the model are examined in the context of nonlinear waves including rotobreathers and kink-like solitary waves. We also explore ``dynamic'' features of the model concerning the resonant transfer of energy and the role of moving intrinsic localized modes in the process.