Discrete moving breather collisions in a Klein-Gordon chain of oscillators

Abstract

We study collision processes of moving breathers with the same frequency, traveling with opposite directions within a Klein-Gordon chain of oscillators. Two types of collisions have been analyzed: symmetric and non-symmetric, head-on collisions. For low enough frequency the outcome is strongly dependent of the dynamical states of the two colliding breathers just before the collision. For symmetric collisions, several results can be observed: breather generation, with the formation of a trapped breather and two new moving breathers; breather reflection; generation of two new moving breathers; and breather fusion bringing about a trapped breather. For non-symmetric collisions the possible results are: breather generation, with the formation of three new moving breathers; breather fusion, originating a new moving breather; breather trapping with also breather reflection; generation of two new moving breathers; and two new moving breathers traveling as a ligand state. Breather annihilation has never been observed.