Experimental observation of the straining field responsible for vortex ring instability

The aim of this work is to show experimentally the straining field responsible for the vortex ring instability. To do so, the velocity field in the neighbourhood of the core is measured with Particle Image Velocimetry. This field is compared with the one coming from theoretical work on a thin vortex ring in an ideal fluid. Theoretical and experimental data fit well. This indicates that the linear phase of the instability is weakly influenced by viscosity. To cite this article: A. Dazin et al., C. R. Mecanique 332 (2004).