On the physical mechanism of three-wave instabilities – resonance between positive- and negative-action modes

Three-wave instability is a fundamental process that has important applications in many branches of physics. It is widely accepted that the resonant condition ω_z≈ω_x+ω_y for participating waves is the criteria for the onset of the instability. We show that this condition is neither sufficient nor necessary, instead, the exact criteria for the onset of the instability is that a positive-action mode resonates with a negative-action mode. This mechanism is imposed by the topology and geometry of the spectral space. Guided by this new theory, additional instability bands previously unknown are discovered.