UC San Diego

An analytical method for determining the shape of hollow vortices in shear flows is presented in detail. In a non-dimensional formulation, it is shown that the problem has one degree of freedom represented by the free choice of the non-dimensionalized speed $\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$ at the boundary of the vortex. The solutions form two families of shapes corresponding to vortex circulation and shear-flow vorticity having the opposite or same sign. When the signs are opposite, the shape family resembles that described by Llewellyn Smith & Crowdy (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 691, 2012, pp. 178–200) for hollow vortices in a potential flow with strain. As for that flow, there is a minimum value of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$ below which there is no solution as the boundary of the vortex self-intersects, while, when the signs are the same, solutions exist for $0<\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$.