Coherent structure formation, phase correlations, and finite-size effects in 2D turbulence (Q2564213)

General conditions for the formation of long-lived coherent vortices in decaying and force-driven two-dimensional turbulence are investigated. It is shown by numerical simualtions that the emergence of closed streamlines leading to the trapped trajectories of vorticity is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for this phenomenon, so that these trapped trajectories may be considered only as ``seed vortices''. Numerical experiments which demonstrate the relations between phase correlations, finite-size effects, and the formation of coherent vortices in two-dimensional decaying turbulence are presented.