Nonlinear dynamics of an elliptic vortex embedded in an oscillatory shear flow

The nonlinear dynamics of an elliptic vortex subjected to a time-periodic linear external shear flow is studied numerically. Making use of the ideas from the theory of nonlinear resonance overlaps, the study focuses on the appearance of chaotic regimes in the ellipse dynamics. When the superimposed flow is stationary, two general types of the steady-state phase portrait are considered: one that features a homoclinic separatrix delineating bounded and unbounded phase trajectories and one without a separatrix (all the phase trajectories are bounded in a periodic domain). When the external flow is time-periodic, the ensuing nonlinear dynamics differs significantly in both cases. For the case with a separatrix and two distinct types of phase trajectories: bounded and unbounded, the effect of the most influential nonlinear resonance with the winding number of 1:1 is analyzed in detail. Namely, the process of occupying the central stability region associated with the steady-state elliptic critical point by the stability region associated with the nonlinear resonance of 1:1 as the perturbation frequency gradually varies is investigated. A stark increase in the persistence of the central regular dynamics region against perturbation when the resonance of 1:1 associated stability region occupies the region associated with the steady-state elliptic critical point is observed. An analogous persistence of the regular motion occurs for higher perturbation frequencies when the corresponding stability islands reach the central stability region associated with the steady-state elliptic point. An analysis for the case with the resonance of 1:2 is presented. For the second case with only bounded phase trajectories and, therefore, no separatrix, the appearance of much bigger stability islands associated with nonlinear resonances compared with the case with a separatrix is reported.