Experimental investigation of Faraday waves of maximum height

The profiles of standing gravity waves of maximum height, parametrically excited on the free surface of a deep fluid in a vertically oscillating rectangular vessel (Faraday waves), are investigated experimentally. For a small modulation index of the excitation parameter, waves of three types are distinguished: regular, temporally periodic and symmetric about the vertical line passing through their crest; irregular but retaining the connectivity of the liquid volume; and breaking waves with drops separating from the free surface of the fluid. It is established that the profile of the maximum-height regular waves is smooth with a steepness of 0.255 and a limiting angle at the crest of less than 80°. Certain realizations of irregular and breaking waves, with profiles similar to those of regular waves but with much smaller steepnesses, 0288 and 0.429, respectively, are detected.