# gst: apropos of 'large deviations', the instanton, to trace rogue waves

<< Strong evidence is given that the rogue waves observed in the tank are hydrodynamic instantons, that is, saddle point configurations of the action associated with the stochastic model of the wave system. (..) these hydrodynamic instantons are complex spatiotemporal wave field configurations which can be defined using the mathematical framework of large deviation theory and calculated via tailored numerical methods. These results indicate that the instantons describe equally well rogue waves created by simple linear superposition (in weakly nonlinear conditions) or by nonlinear focusing (in strongly nonlinear conditions), paving the way for the development of a unified explanation to rogue wave formation. >>

Giovanni Dematteis, Tobias Grafke, et al. Experimental Evidence of Hydrodynamic Instantons: The Universal Route to Rogue Waves. Phys. Rev. X 9, 041057. Dec 18, 2019.

https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.9.041057

Stefano Trillo, Amin Chabchoub. Viewpoint: A Unifying Framework for Describing Rogue Waves. Physics 12, 146. Dec18, 2019.

https://physics.aps.org/articles/v12/146