Noun: soliton 'só-li,tón
- (physics) a quantum of energy or quasiparticle that can be propagated as a travelling 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";
- soliton wave, solitary wave
Derived forms: solitons
Type of: traveling wave [US], travelling wave [Brit, Cdn]
Encyclopedia: Soliton