NONLINEAR COUPLING BETWEEN SHEAR HORIZONTAL SURFACE SOLITONS AND RAYLEIGH MODES ON ELASTIC STRUCTURES

Based on a previous work [G. A. Maugin and H. Hadouaj, Phys. Rev. B 44, 1266 (1991)], it is shown that a generalized Zakharov system (Zakharov's system of plasma physics with additional self-nonlinearity of the cubic type in the Schrodinger component equation) governs the (envelope) solitary-wave propagation of a primarily shear-horizontally (SH) polarized, and secondarily sagittally polarized, surface wave at the top of an elastic structure made of a nonlinear substrate on which is perfectly bonded an elastic film of a slower material. The proof relies on asymptotics. Also shown is the complication introduced by additional dispersive effects in the Rayleigh subsystem.