Dispersive Shock Wave, Generalized Laguerre Polynomials and Asymptotic Solitons of the Focusing Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation

Abstract: We consider dispersive shock wave to the focusing nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation generated by a discontinuous initial condition which is periodic or quasi-periodic on the left semi-axis and zero on the right semi-axis. As an initial function we use a finite-gap potential of the Dirac operator given in an explicit form through hyper-elliptic theta-functions. The paper aim is to study the long-time asymptotics of the solution of this problem in a vicinity of the leading edge, where a train of asymptotic solitons are generated. Such a problem was studied in \cite{KK86} and \cite{K91} using Marchenko's inverse scattering technics. We investigate this problem exceptionally using the Riemann-Hilbert problems technics that allow us to obtain explicit formulas for the asymptotic solitons themselves that in contrast with the cited papers where asymptotic formulas are obtained only for the square of absolute value of solution. Using transformations of the main RH problems we arrive to a model problem corresponding to the parametrix at the end points of continuous spectrum of the Zakharov-Shabat spectral problem. The parametrix problem is effectively solved in terms of the generalized Laguerre polynomials which are naturally appeared after appropriate scaling of the Riemann-Hilbert problem in a small neighborhoods of the end points of continuous spectrum. Further asymptotic analysis give an explicit formula for solitons at the edge of dispersive wave. Thus, we give the complete description of the train of asymptotic solitons: not only bearing envelope of each asymptotic soliton, but its oscillating structure are found explicitly. Besides the second term of asymptotics describing an interaction between these solitons and oscillating background is also found. This gives the fine structure of the edge of dispersive shock wave.