Linear and non-linear instabilities of Kirchhoff's Elliptical Vortices

We investigate the stability of a uniform elliptical vortex in a two-dimensional incompressible Euler fluid. It's demonstrated that for small eccentricities, the vortex relaxes to a core-halo structure that undergoes rigid rotation with the central core remaining elliptical. For large eccentricities, the vortex splits into two quasi-circular vortices that revolve around the center of mass. Independent of the aspect ratio, the steady-state displays a low-density halo. We present a theory that qualitatively explains the transition between the two states. All theoretical results are compared with extensive molecular dynamics simulations based on the vortex-in-cell algorithm.