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A note on a boundary-layer collision on a rotating sphere

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Abstract

A recent study of the unsteady boundary layer near the equator of a spinning sphere provided strong numerical evidence that the solution develops a singularity a finite time after the motion is initiated. In this paper we reformulate and complete the asymptotic structure proposed to describe this singularity. It is then self-consistent and provides convincing evidence of the accuracy of the computations and of the existence of the singularity.

Zusammenfassung

Eine neuere Untersuchung über die nicht-stationäre Grenzschicht nahe am Äquator einer rotierenden Kugel ergab starke numerische Evidenz für das Auftreten einer Singularität in der Lösung nach einer endlichen Zeit, vom Beginn der Bewegung gerechnet. In dieser Arbeit wird die asymptotische Struktur zur Beschreibung der Singularität neu formuliert und ergänzt. Sie wird selbstkonsistent und gibt ein wichtiges Zeugnis für die Genauigkeit der Berechnungen und für die Existenz der Singularität.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Mathematics, University College London, London, England

    C. J. Simpson & K. Stewartson

Authors
  1. C. J. Simpson
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  2. K. Stewartson
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Simpson, C.J., Stewartson, K. A note on a boundary-layer collision on a rotating sphere. Z. angew. Math. Phys. 33, 370–378 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00944445

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00944445

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