Stability of finite and infinite von Kármán vortex-cluster streets.

A wake of vortices with sufficiently spaced cores may be represented via the point-vortex model from classical hydrodynamics. We use potential theory representations of vortices to examine the emergence and stability of complex vortex wakes, more particularly the von Kármán vortex street composed of regular polygonal-like clusters of same-signed vortices. We investigate the existence and stability of these streets represented through spatially periodic vortices. We introduce a physically inspired point-vortex model that captures the stability of infinite vortex streets with a finite number of procedurally generated vortices, allowing for numerical analysis of the behavior of vortex streets as they dynamically form.