Vortex dynamics on a Möbius strip

Abstract

We consider the dynamics of a two-dimensional incompressible perfect fluid on a Möbius strip embedded in ${\mathbb{R}}^3$. The vorticity-streamfunction formulation of the Euler equations is derived from an exterior-calculus form of the momentum equation. The non-orientability of the Möbius strip and the distinction between forms and pseudo-forms this introduces lead to unusual properties: a boundary condition is provided by the conservation of circulation along the single boundary of the strip, and there is no integral conservation for the vorticity or for any odd function thereof. A finite-difference numerical implementation is used to illustrate the Möbius-strip realisation of familiar phenomena: translation of vortices along boundaries, shear instability, and decaying turbulence.

References in corpus (1)

• Geometric formulation of the Cauchy invariants for incompressible Euler flow in flat and curved spaces