Galilean Invariant Extraction and Iconic Representation of Vortex Core Lines

Abstract

While vortex region quantities are Galilean invariant, most methods for extracting vortex cores depend on the frame of reference. We present an approach to extracting vortex core lines independently of the frame of reference by extracting ridge and valley lines of Galilean invariant vortex region quantities. We discuss a generalization of this concept leading to higher dimensional features. For the visualization of extracted line features we use an iconic representation indicating their scale and extent. We apply our approach to datasets from numerical simulations and experimental measurements.