Dark and composite rogue waves in the coupled Hirota equations

The intriguing dark and composite rogue wave dynamics in a coupled Hirota system are unveiled, based on the exact explicit rational solutions obtained under the assumption of equal background height. It is found that a dark rogue wave state would occur as a result of the strong coupling between two field components with large wavenumber difference, and there would appear plenty of composite structures that are attributed to the specific wavenumber difference and the free choice of three independent structural parameters. The coexistence of different fundamental rogue waves in such a coupled system is also demonstrated. - Highlights: • Exact rational rogue wave solutions under different parameter conditions are presented for the coupled Hirota equations. • The basic rogue wave features and hence the intriguing dark structures are unveiled. • We attributed the diversity of composite rogue wave dynamics to the free choice of three independent structural parameters. • The remarkable coexisting rogue wave behaviors in such a coupled system are demonstrated