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Home All issues Volume 63/ 3 Article
Issue Europhys. Lett.
Volume 63, Number 3, August 2003
Page(s) 354 - 360
Section Electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2003-00460-0

DOI: 10.1209/epl/i2003-00460-0
Europhys. Lett., 63 (3) , pp. 354-360 (2003)

Computational model of vortex reconnection

D. Kivotides and A. Leonard

Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91125, USA


(Received 7 October 2002; accepted in final form 26 May 2003)

Abstract
We develop a phenomenological model of vortex tube reconnection. The model makes possible the description of filament reconnection without resolution of the computationally complex core dynamics. For three generic cases of vortex ring reconnection the model predictions agree with results from first-principles calculations. The model predicts adequately the changes in topology, the excitation and propagation of Kelvin waves and the viscous decay of kinetic energy.

PACS
47.32.Cc - Vortex dynamics.
47.27.Eq - Turbulence simulation and modeling.

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