Interaction of two point vortices with an external wave: Application to plasma drift waves

Xavier Leoncini (1, 2) , Alberto Verga (3)

1 CPT - Centre de Physique Théorique - UMR 6207
2 CPT - Centre de Physique Théorique - UMR 7332
3 IM2NP - Institut des Matériaux, de Microélectronique et des Nanosciences de Provence

The complex interactions of concentrated vortices with self-generated waves is investigated using a model of point vortices in the presence of an external wave. In spite of its simplicity, this model shows a rich dynamical behavior including oscillations of a dipole, splitting and merging of two like-circulation vortices, and chaos. The analytical and numerical results of this model have been found to predict under certain conditions, the behavior of more complex systems, such as the vortices of the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima equation (drift waves or geostrophic flows), where the presence of waves strongly affects the evolution of large coherent structures.

Mots clés: vortex-wave interaction; Hasegawa-Mima; Charney; Two-dimensional turbulence; geostrophic flows

Domaines: Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]; Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]; Dynamique Chaotique [nlin.CD]

Xavier Leoncini, Alberto Verga. Interaction of two point vortices with an external wave: Application to plasma drift waves. 2011. ⟨hal-00563942v1⟩