A numerical method for solution of the two-dimensional sine-Gordon equation using the radial basis functions

ne nonlinear sine-Gordon equation arises in various problems in science and engineering. In this paper, we propose a numerical scheme to solve the two-dimensional damped/undamped sine-Gordon equation. The proposed scheme is based on using collocation points and approximating the solution employing the thin plate splines (TPS) radial basis function (RBF). The new scheme works in a similar fashion as finite difference methods. Numerical results are obtained for various cases involving line and ring solitons. (C) 2008 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All tights reserved.