When a horizontal force is applied locally to some volume of a viscous densitystratified fluid, flows with high concentration of vertically oriented vorticity (vortex dipoles) are generated. The processes of generation and evolution with time of these unsteady flows in a stratified fluid are studied. A convenient way to produce and study these flows in the laboratory is to use a submerged horizontal jet as a ‘point’ source of momentum. The main governing parameter (the ‘force’) is easily controlled in this case. Two regimes were studied: starting jets with dipolar vortex fronts (the force acts continuously) and impulsive vortex dipoles (the force acts for a short period of time). A conductivity microprobe, aluminium powder, shadowgraph, thymol-blue and other techniques have been used to measure the velocity and density distributions in the flows. It is found that in both regimes the flows are self-similar: the lengthscale of the flows increases with time as t^½ for starting jets and as t^1/3 for vortex dipoles. Detailed information about the generation mechanism, kinematics and dynamics of the flows is obtained. On the basis of similarity principles a theoretical explanation of the experimental results is given. The theory is in good agreement with the results obtained.

Planar motion produced when a viscous fluid is forced from an initial state of rest is studied. We consider a vortex dipole produced by the action of a point force (Cantwell 1986), and a vortex quadrupole produced by the action of two equal forces of opposite direction. We also present results from an experimental investigation into the dynamics of the interactions between vortex dipoles as well as between vortex dipoles and a vertical wall in a stratified fluid. Theoretical consideration reveals that the dynamics of two-dimensional vortex-dipole interactions are determined by two main governing parameters: the dipolar intensity of the vorticity distribution (momentum) and the quadrupolar intensity of the vorticity distribution of the flow. We document details of different basic types of interactions and present a physical interpretation of the results obtained in terms of vortex multipoles: dipoles, quadrupoles and their combinations.

Results from a new series of experiments on turbulent flows decaying in a thin layer of water with a free surface in a rotating circular container are presented. The flows are generated electromagnetically using a regular array of permanent magnets. The Particle Image Velocimetry method is used to determine the velocity and vorticity fields in the flow. The experimental results demonstrate the formation of a polar vortex and jets perturbed by stationary Rossby waves in experiments with higher values of the beta parameter. Blocking events similar to those occurring in the Earth's atmosphere were observed in the laboratory flows. The Two-dimensional energy spectra of the flow demonstrate anisotropy in the space of the azimuthal and total wavenumbers. The One-dimensional energy spectra are characterized by a peak at the Rhines wavenumber.

Evolution of a two-dimensional flow induced by a jet ejected from a nozzle of finite size is studied experimentally. Vortex dipole forms at the front of the developing flow while a trailing jet establishes behind the dipole. The dynamics of the flow is discussed on the basis of detailed measurements of vorticity and velocity fields which are obtained using particle image velocimetry. It is found that dipoles do not separate (pinch-off) from the trailing jet for values of the stroke ratio up to 15, which fact can be contrasted with the behavior of vortex rings reported previously by other authors. A characteristic time scale that is defined differently from the formation time of vortex rings can be introduced. This time scale (startup time) indicates the moment when the dipole starts translating after an initial period when it mainly grows absorbing the jet from the nozzle. A simple model that considers the competing effects of expansion and translation is developed to obtain an estimate of the dimensionless startup time. The dynamics of a dipole after the formation is characterized by a reduced flux of vorticity from the jet. The dipole moves forward with constant speed such that a value of the ratio of the speed of propagation of the dipole to the mean velocity of the jet is found to be 0.5. A universality of this ratio is explained in the framework of a model based on conservation of mass and momentum for the moving dipole.

This paper describes a laboratory experiment designed to measure thickness variations across a soap bubble. The experiment uses the phenomenon of thin film interference and the principles of color perception to measure the thickness of the soap film at various points across the surface of the bubble. The students review the classical theory of interference and use a digital camera to make the measurements. The apparatus required for the experiment is inexpensive and easy to construct. This experiment is suitable for a senior undergraduate course and can potentially be used to study hydrodynamic effects in soap films.