Self-similar motions and related relative equilibria in the \(N\)-point vortex system (Q2665523)

The author studies self-similar solutions of the \(N\)-point-vortex system in some specific cases. In Section 2, some properties of the point-vortex system are recalled. The definition of self-similar motions is presented, and a result about the formula for self-similar solutions is proved. Also, a numerical method to find self-similar collapsing solutions is reviewed. In Section 3, exact solutions of self-similar collapse for \(N\in\{3,4,5\}\) are discussed. It is shown that the three point-vortex system has a unique collapsing family. Moreover, some examples that have several collapsing families are found numerically. In Section 4, self-similar motions for \(N\geq 4\) under a uniform condition for vortex strengths are analyzed with the help of numerical computations. Symmetrical configurations in relative equilibria appear as their limit states. In particular, relative equilibria for \(N = 4\) are obtained. Also, for nonuniform vortex strengths, two cases are considered, namely \(N = 4\) and \(N = 7\). Both cases indicate that the collapsing families have a variety of structures and their configurations do not necessarily approach relative equilibria. In Section 5, some concluding remarks are given and future research directions are discussed.