A finite difference method for the Korteweg-de Vries and the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equations

A linearized implicit finite difference method for the Korteweg-de Vries equation is proposed and straightforwardly extended to the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation. We investigate the order of accuracy of the method and prove the method to be unconditionally linearly stable. The numerical experiments for the Korteweg-de Vries and the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equations are carried out with various conditions. Numerical results for the collision of two lump type solitary wave solutions to the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation are also reported.