- A quantum of energy or quasiparticle that can be propagated as a traveling wave in nonlinear systems and is neither preceded nor followed by another such disturbance; does not obey the superposition principle and does not dissipate; "soliton waves can travel long distances with little loss of energy or structure"
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Wave of Translation
John Scott Russell (May 9, 1808, Glasgow - 8 June 1882) was a Scottish naval engineer who built The Great Eastern in collaboration with Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and made the discovery that gave birth to the modern study of solitons. The soliton phenomenon was first described by John Scott Russell who observed a solitary wave in the Union Canal, reproduced the phenomenon in a wave tank, and named it the "Wave of Translation".
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| Physics of Solitons | Solitons: an introduction |