Solving the Sine-Gordon Equation: A Novel Numerical Approach Using Cubic B-Splines and the Method of Lines

Abstract

This work explores a numerical approach to solving the sine-Gordon equation using the method of lines combined with cubic B-spline interpolation. The sine-Gordon equation, a nonlinear partial differential equation, arises in various fields of physics and engineering, describing phenomena such as solitons in non-linear optics and magnetic flux lines in superconductors. In our approach the method of lines is used to discretize the spatial derivatives, thereby converting the partial differential equation into a system of ordinary differential equations. These ordinary differential equations are then solved numerically using standard techniques, specifically the Runge-Kutta method of order 4. Cubic B-spline interpolation is employed to approximate the spatial derivative, ensuring efficient and precise computation of the solution. A comprehensive stability analysis reveals that our scheme requires the time step conditiont1.53 h for numerical stability. Theoretical convergence analysis demonstrates that the method achieves O(h2)spatial convergence and O( t4)temporal convergence, resulting in an overall error bound of O(h2+ t4 ). These theoretical predictions are strongly supported by numerical experiments, where empirical convergence rates closely match the theoretical values. To validate the numerical scheme, the results are compared with existing solutions. Our findings demonstrate the accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed method, highlighting its potential as a valuable tool for studying the dynamics and behavior of systems governed by the sine-Gordon equation.OPEN ACCESS Received: 29/08/2025 Accepted: 05/11/2025

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