Effect of discrete breathers on the specific heat of a nonlinear chain

A nonlinear chain with sixth-order polynomial on-site potential is used to analyze the evolution of the total-to-kinetic-energy ratio during development of modulational instability of extended nonlinear vibrational modes. For the on-site potential of hard-type (soft-type) anharmonicity, the instability of $$q =\pi $$ mode ( $$q = 0$$ mode) results in the appearance of long-living discrete breathers (DBs) that gradually radiate their energy and eventually the system approaches thermal equilibrium with spatially uniform and temporally constant temperature. In the hard-type (soft-type) anharmonicity case, the total-to-kinetic-energy ratio is minimal (maximal) in the regime of maximal energy localization by DBs. It is concluded that DBs affect specific heat of the nonlinear chain, and for the case of hard-type (soft-type) anharmonicity, they reduce (increase) the specific heat.