Will explore mathematical models of waves

When researchers model waves, such as ocean waves or light waves, they use mathematical models that describe how the waves propagate and influence each other. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Simon Leo Rydin Myerson will investigate how well these mathematical models actually describe reality.

Most mathematical models are based on simplifications of reality. Understanding when and why these simplifications work is important if they are to be reliable.

Dr Simon Leo Rydin Myerson, University of Warwick, UK, will now validate a simplified mathematical model that is used to describe waves, such as ocean waves in climate models. He will do this with the help of a completely different branch of mathematics, which studies the structure of integers.

Put simply, it is about understanding how waves interact. Waves oscillate together, just like notes in a chord can resonate. Mathematicians have discovered that these resonances can be described using integers, so they can use methods from a branch of mathematics called number theory to investigate waves.

Rydin Myerson will now use specific areas of number theory to justify the simplified wave models. He will begin by studying waves in an ideal large, deep rectangular pool, before moving to more complex conditions. As a Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Simon Leo Rydin Myerson will work at Chalmers University of Technology.

Photo: Patrik Lundin