Work

Dynamics of a helical vortex ring interacting with a vortex line

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Helical vortex rings are intriguing flow phenomena observed in both classical and quantum fluids, playing a crucial role in the examination of turbulence. Despite significant research dedicated to understanding their dynamics, studies on the interaction between vortex lines and vortex rings remain limited. Here, we show the dynamics of a helical vortex ring interacting with a vortex line. Through manipulation of the polarity and magnitude of the topological charge along the axis of the vortex ring, we show a change in the translational speed and angular rotation of the vortex ring. To gain deeper insights into the dynamics of intricate vortex structures in the presence of a vortex line, we analyse the evolution of the moment of inertia tensor during this evolution. The results provide insights into the dynamics of helical vortex rings, contributing to a deeper comprehension of turbulence generation and dissipation. Helical vortex rings are fundamental structures in fluid dynamics and play an important role in turbulence. This work reveals how their translational speed and angular rotation can be influenced by interacting with a vortex line, providing deeper insights into vortex dynamics.

Source: Communications Physics

DOI: 10.1038/s42005-025-02109-x

Authors: Wen-Kai Bai, Xue Yang, Hao Zhu, S. A. Gardiner, Wu-Ming Liu, Tao Yang