Point vortices and classical orthogonal polynomials (Q1760043)

The motion of two-dimensional incompressible fluid is, in the case of so-called \(M\) point vortices with circulations \(\Gamma_1,\dots,\Gamma_N\) at points \(z_1,\dots,z_M\), governed by the Helmholtz's equations \[ {dz_k^{\ast}\over dt}={1\over 2\pi i}\,\sum_{j=1}^M{}'\,{\Gamma_j\over z_k-z_j},\;k=1,\dots,M, \] where the prime means that the term with \(j=k\) is omitted in the sum and \(\ast\) stands for complex conjugation. A well-worked method of approach is the polynomial method, introducing polynomials with roots at the vortex positions. In the paper under review, the authors study stationary equilibria ((set \(dz^{\ast}/dt=0\)), symmetric arrangements of point vortices and also introduce a background flow \(w\), leading to an extra term \(w(z_k)/2\pi i\) on the right hand side of the equation. Subdividing the vortices into groups according to the values of the circulation, i.e. suppose there are \(N\) different values \(\Gamma_1,\dots,\Gamma_N\) with the vortices \(a_1^{j},\dots,a_{l_j}^{(j)}\) belonging to the same value \(\Gamma_j\), the following polynomials are introduced \[ P_j(z)=\prod_{i=1}^{l_j}\,(z-a_i^{(j)}),\;j=1,\dots,N. \] The polynomials \(P_j\) do not have multiple or common roots. After some intricate formula manipulation, the authors obtain an equation for the polynomials \[ {\tilde P}(z)=\prod_{j=1}^N\,P_j^{ \Gamma_j(\Gamma_j+1)}(z),\;{\tilde Q}(z)=\prod_{j=1}^N\,P_j^{ \Gamma_j(\Gamma_j-1)}(z), \] and a similar equation for the case that \(\Gamma_j=n_j\Gamma,\;n_j\in\mathbf{Z},\;j=1,\dots,N\). In the next section, the Darboux transformation for classical orthogonal polynomials is treated, leading to special equations for quotients of Wronskian's in classical orthogonal polynomials (the denominator the \(n\times n\) Wronskian on an \(n\)-tuple of classical orthogonal polynomials \(\psi_1,\dots,\psi_n\) and the numerator the same Wronskian with one column replaced by \(D^n\psi_1,\dots,D^n\psi_n\)). The `final' equation found can then be used to study that for \(\tilde{P},\tilde{Q}\). In section 4, the results of the previous sections are then applied to the cases where the underlying orthogonal polynomials are Hermite, Laguerre and Jacobi. This leads to an interpretation as special flows in vortex theory. Finally, there are several tables of the arising polynomials and plots of their zeroes.