Transfer of passive particles in the velocity field of vortex tripole moving on a plane

Abstract

Purpose of this article is to study the transport of passive particles in the velocity field of a vortex tripole with a change in the parameter that determines the speed of the configuration movement. A structure consisting of a central vortex and satellite vortices rotating around it with the opposite vorticity is understood as a tripole. We employ a system of three point vortices, the most simple mathematical representation of a vortex tripole, which may be expressed as a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations with a parameter. Consideration is limited to a particular case of a tripole with zero total vorticity. The influence of the speed values of vortex configuration movement on the processes of passive particle transport has been studied. Methods. The study was carried out numerically using algorithms based on the dynamical systems approaches including the construction of the Poincare map and the analysis of the dynamics of marker particles. Were carried out long ´ times calculations, corresponding to hundreds and thousands of turns around the tripole center. Integrators of high orders of accuracy were used to solve the Cauchy problems, which made it possible to adequacy of the calculation result control. Results. We found that transferring passive particles is fundamentally different depending on the speed of the tripole. A vast zone of chaotic dynamics forms in the neighborhood of the vortices when the velocity is low. This zone slowly shifts along with the tripole. There are subregions of active and slow mixing inside the chaos region. The possible stages of particle dynamics are: transfer from the region to the right of the tripole to the area to the left, vigorous mixing near the vortices, and slowly drifting to the region to the left of the tripole. At a high speed of vortex configuration in the entire chaotic region, the particles are strongly mixed. The vortex tripole removes particles from the vicinity of its initial position over long distances and practically does not capture new particles along its path. In intermediate situations, both processes can be realized at varying degrees. Conclusion. Non-trivial scenarios for the transport of passive particles by a vortex tripole, which can also occur in real vortex configurations of fluids, have been discovered and described.