N-symmetric interaction of N hetons. I. Analysis of the case N = 2

We examine the motion of N symmetric hetons (oppositely signed vertical dipoles) in a two-layer quasi-geostrophic model. We consider the special case of N-fold symmetry in which the original system of 4N ordinary differential equations reduces to just two equations for the so-called “equivalent” heton. We perform a qualitative analysis to classify the possible types of vortex motions for the case N = 2. We identify the regions of the parameter space corresponding to unbounded motion and to different types of bounded, or localized, motions. We focus on the properties of localized, in particular periodic, motion. We identify classes of absolute and relative “choreographies” first introduced by Simo [“New families of solutions to the N-body problems,” in Proceedings of the European 3rd Congress of Mathematics, Progress in Mathematics Vol. 201, edited by C. Casacuberta, R. M. Miro-Roig, J. Verdera, and S. Xambo-Descamps (Birkhauser, Basel, Barcelona, 2000), pp. 101–115]. We also study the forms of vortex trajectories occurring for unbounded motion, which are of practical interest due to the associated transport of heat and mass over large distances.