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This nondispersive cubic complex Ginzburg–Landau equation balances linear growth against nonlinear damping. Its real-wavenumber Ginzburg-Landau plane wave has amplitude $\sqrt{\mu -k^2}$ when $\mu >k^2$. Relaxation within that single-mode amplitude family does not by itself establish stability against general perturbations.

For this nonlinear ansatz, take $k$ real as well as $U,\mu$ real. Then $|e^{ik(x-Ut)}|=1$, and the advective time derivative vanishes. Substitution into the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau equation givesThe stipulated positive-amplitude Ginzburg-Landau plane wave therefore hasThe strict inequality $\mu >k^2$ guarantees that this is real and positive. The zero solution of the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau equation also exists but is not the required positive wave. Although complex $k$ is useful in the linear impulse analysis, it cannot generally be carried into this constant-amplitude nonlinear ansatz: its spatially varying modulus would make the cubic term carry a different spatial factor.