Change of Polarity for Periodic Waves in the Variable-Coefficient Korteweg-de Vries Equation

We examine the variable-coefficient Kortweg-de Vries equation for the situation when the coefficient of the quadratic nonlinear term changes sign at a certain critical point. This case has been widely studied for a solitary wave, which is extinguished at the critical point and replaced by a train of solitary waves of the opposite polarity to the incident wave, riding on a pedestal of the original polarity. Here, we examine the same case but for a modulated periodic wave train. Using an asymptotic analysis, we show that in contrast a periodic wave is preserved with a finite amplitude as it passes through the critical point, but a phase change is generated causing the wave to reverse its polarity.