91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓÆµ

Event

A variational theory of hyperbolic Lagrangian coherent structures

Monday, October 4, 2010 16:00to17:00
Burnside Hall 805 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC, H3A 0B9, CA

George Haller
91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓÆµ

We describe a mathematical theory that clarifies the relationship between Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCS) in moving continua and invariants of the Cauchy-Green strain tensor field. Motivated by physical observations of trajectory patterns, we define hyperbolic LCS as material surfaces that extremize an appropriate finite-time normal repulsion or attraction measure. Solving this variational problem leads to computable sufficient and necessary criteria for LCS. We also discuss constrained LCS problems, as well as the robustness of LCS under perturbations, such as numerical errors or data imperfection. In several examples, we show how these results resolve earlier inconsistencies in the theory of LCS.

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