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Updated: May 11, 2026

Preparation of Free-Surface Hyperbolic Water Vortices
Published on: July 28, 2023
Turbulence and columnar vortex formation through inertial-wave focusing
Matias Duran-Matute1, Jan-Bert Flór, Fabien S Godeferd
1Laboratoire des Écoulements Géophysiques et Industriels, CNRS-Université de Grenoble, Grenoble, France.
Abstract:
In this experimental and numerical study, we consider the role of inertial waves in the inverse energy cascade and the transfer of momentum in a rotating fluid. An oscillating torus generates two inertial-wave cones with their energy focusing at their apex. For high wave amplitudes, turbulence is generated locally around the focal point, resulting in angular momentum mixing and the generation of a columnar cyclonic vortex. The results suggest that nonlinear dynamics is essential for the wave induced momentum transport towards columnar vortices in rotating turbulence.
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