Structural classification and stability of divergence-free vector fields (Q696086)

The authors prove that a divergence-free vector field \(v\) on a two dimensional submanifold of \(S^2\) is structurally stable with divergence-free vector field perturbations if and only if (1) \(v\) is regular, (2) all interior saddle points of \(v\) are self-connected, and (3) each boundary saddle point is connected to boundary saddles on the same connected component of the boundary.