Word representation of streamline topologies for structurally stable vortex flows in multiply connected domains

Abstract

Let us consider incompressible and inviscid flows in two-dimensional domains with multiple obstacles. The instantaneous velocity field becomes a Hamiltonian vector field defined from the stream function, and it is topologically characterized by the streamline pattern that corresponds to the contour plot of the stream function. The present paper provides us with a procedure to construct structurally stable streamline patterns generated by finitely many point vortices in the presence of the uniform flow. Starting from some basic structurally stable streamline patterns in a disc of low genus, i.e. a disc with a small number of holes, we repeat some fundamental operations that append a streamline pattern by increasing one genus to them. Owing to the inductive procedure, one can assign a sequence of operations as a representing word to each structurally stable streamline pattern. We also give the canonical expression for the word representation, which allows us to make a catalogue of all possible structurally stable streamline patterns in a combinatorial manner. As an example, we show all streamline patterns in the discs of genus 1 and 2.