Higher-order Breathers as Quasi-rogue Waves on a Periodic Background

Abstract: We investigate higher-order breathers of the cubic nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation on an elliptic background. We find that, beyond first-order, any arbitrarily constructed breather is a single-peaked solitary wave on a disordered background. These "quasi-rogue waves" are also common on periodic backgrounds. We assume the higher-order breather is constructed out of constituent first-order breathers with commensurate periods (i.e., higher-order harmonic waves). In that case, one obtains "quasi-periodic" breathers with distorted side-peaks. Fully periodic breathers are obtained when their wavenumbers are harmonic multiples of the background and each other. They are truly rare, requiring finely-tuned parameters. Thus, on a periodic background, we arrive at the paradoxical conclusion that the apparent higher-order rogue waves are rather common, while the truly periodic breathers are exceedingly rare.