Vortex ring

About: Vortex ring is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 7153 publications have been published within this topic receiving 143657 citations. The topic is also known as: toroidal vortex.

Structure of a quantized vortex in boson systems

Abstract: For a system of weakly repelling bosons, a theory of the elementary line vortex excitations is developed. The vortex state is characterised by the presence of a finite fraction of the particles in a single particle state of integer angular momentum. The radial dependence of the highly occupied state follows from a self-consistent field equation. The radial function and the associated particle density are essentially constant everywhere except inside a core, where they drop to zero. The core size is the de Broglie wavelength associated with the mean interaction energy per particle. The expectation value of the velocity has the radial dependence of a classical vortex. In this Hartree approximation the vorticity is zero everywhere except on the vortex line. When the description of the state is refined to include the zero point oscillations of the phonon field, the vorticity is spread out over the core. These results confirm in all essentials the intuitive arguments ofOnsager andFeynman. The phonons moving perpendicular to the vortex line are coherent excitations of equal and opposite angular momentum relative to the substratum of moving particles that constitute the vortex. The vortex motion resolves the degeneracy of the Bogoljubov phonons with respect to the azimuthal quantum number.

Stability theory for a pair of trailing vortices

Abstract: x(/3) Trailing vortices do not decay by simple diffusion. Usually they undergo a symmetric and nearly sinusoidal instability, until eventually they join at intervals to form a train of vortex rings. The present theory accounts for the instability during the early stages of its growth. The vortices are idealized as interacting lines; their core diameters are taken into account by a cutoff in the line integral representing self-induction. The equation relating induced velocity to vortex displacement gives rise to an eigenvalue problem for the growth rate of sinusoidal perturbations. Stability is found to depend on the products of vortex separation 6 and cutoff distance d times the perturbation wavenumber. Depending on those products, both symmetric and antisymmetric eigenmodes can be unstable, but only the symmetric mode involves strongly interacting long waves. An argument is presented that d/b = 0.063 for the vortices trailing from an elliptically loaded wing. In that case, the maximally unstable long wave has a length 8.66 and grows by a factor e in a time 9.4(^4#/CL)(6/F0), where AR is the aspect ratio, CL is the lift coefficient, and V0 is the speed of the aircraft. The vortex displacements are symmetric and are confined to fixed planes inclined at 48° to the horizontal.

On the development of turbulent wakes from vortex streets

Abstract: Wake development behind circular cylinders at Reynolds numbers from 40 to 10,000 was investigated in a low-speed wind tunnel. Standard hotwire techniques were used to study the velocity fluctuations. The Reynolds number range of periodic vortex shedding is divided into two distinct subranges. At R = 40 to 150, called the stable range, regular vortex streets are formed and no turbulent motion is developed. The range R = 150 to 300 is a transition range to a regime called the irregular range, in which turbulent velocity fluctuations accompany the periodic formation of vortices. The turbulence is initiated by laminar-turbulent transition in the free layers which spring from the separation points on the cylinder. This transition first occurs in the range R = 150 to 300. Spectrum and statistical measurements were made to study the velocity fluctuations. In the stable range the vortices decay by viscous diffusion. In the irregular range the diffusion is turbulent and the wake becomes fully turbulent in 40 to 50 diameters downstream. It was found that in the stable range the vortex street has a periodic spanwise structure. The dependence of shedding frequency on velocity was successfully used to measure flow velocity. Measurements in the wake of a ring showed that an annular vortex street is developed.

A universal time scale for vortex ring formation

Abstract: The formation of vortex rings generated through impulsively started jets is studied experimentally. Utilizing a piston/cylinder arrangement in a water tank, the velocity and vorticity fields of vortex rings are obtained using digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) for a wide range of piston stroke to diameter (L/D) ratios. The results indicate that the flow field generated by large L/D consists of a leading vortex ring followed by a trailing jet. The vorticity field of the leading vortex ring formed is disconnected from that of the trailing jet. On the other hand, flow fields generated by small stroke ratios show only a single vortex ring. The transition between these two distinct states is observed to occur at a stroke ratio of approximately 4, which, in this paper, is referred to as the ‘formation number’. In all cases, the maximum circulation that a vortex ring can attain during its formation is reached at this non-dimensional time or formation number. The universality of this number was tested by generating vortex rings with different jet exit diameters and boundaries, as well as with various non-impulsive piston velocities. It is shown that the ‘formation number’ lies in the range of 3.6–4.5 for a broad range of flow conditions. An explanation is provided for the existence of the formation number based on the Kelvin–Benjamin variational principle for steady axis-touching vortex rings. It is shown that based on the measured impulse, circulation and energy of the observed vortex rings, the Kelvin–Benjamin principle correctly predicts the range of observed formation numbers.

Vortex dynamics in three-dimensional continuous myocardium with fiber rotation: Filament instability and fibrillation.

Abstract: Wave propagation in ventricular muscle is rendered highly anisotropic by the intramural rotation of the fiber This rotational anisotropy is especially important because it can produce a twist of electrical vortices, which measures the rate of rotation (in degree/mm) of activation wavefronts in successive planes perpendicular to a line of phase singularity, or filament This twist can then significantly alter the dynamics of the filament This paper explores this dynamics via numerical simulation After a review of the literature, we present modeling tools that include: (i) a simplified ionic model with three membrane currents that approximates well the restitution properties and spiral wave behavior of more complex ionic models of cardiac action potential (Beeler-Reuter and others), and (ii) a semi-implicit algorithm for the fast solution of monodomain cable equations with rotational anisotropy We then discuss selected results of a simulation study of vortex dynamics in a parallelepipedal slab of ventricular muscle of varying wall thickness (S) and fiber rotation rate (theta(z)) The main finding is that rotational anisotropy generates a sufficiently large twist to destabilize a single transmural filament and cause a transition to a wave turbulent state characterized by a high density of chaotically moving filaments This instability is manifested by the propagation of localized disturbances along the filament and has no previously known analog in isotropic excitable media These disturbances correspond to highly twisted and distorted regions of filament, or "twistons," that create vortex rings when colliding with the natural boundaries of the ventricle Moreover, when sufficiently twisted, these rings expand and create additional filaments by further colliding with boundaries This instability mechanism is distinct from the commonly invoked patchy failure or wave breakup that is not observed here during the initial instability For modified Beeler-Reuter-like kinetics with stable reentry in two dimensions, decay into turbulence occurs in the left ventricle in about one second above a critical wall thickness in the range of 4-6 mm that matches experiment However this decay is suppressed by uniformly decreasing excitability Specific experiments to test these results, and a method to characterize the filament density during fibrillation are discussed Results are contrasted with other mechanisms of fibrillation and future prospects are summarized (c)1998 American Institute of Physics