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Advection Of A Passive Scalar By A Vortex Couple In The Small-Diffusion Limit, Joseph F. Lingevitch, Andrew J. Bernoff

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We study the advection of a passive scalar by a vortex couple in the small-diffusion (i.e. large Péclet number, Pe) limit. The presence of weak diffusion enhances mixing within the couple and allows the gradual escape of the scalar from the couple into the surrounding flow. An averaging technique is applied to obtain an averaged diffusion equation for the concentration inside the dipole which agrees with earlier results of Rhines & Young for large times. At the outer edge of the dipole, a diffusive boundary layer of width O(Pe^−½) forms; asymptotic matching to the interior …