title: Inertial modes in a rotating triaxial ellipsoid.
abstract: In this work, we present an algorithm that enables computation of inertial modes and their corresponding frequencies in a rotating triaxial ellipsoid. The method consists of projecting the inertial mode equation onto finite-dimensional bases of polynomial vector fields. It is shown that this leads to a well-posed eigenvalue problem, and hence, that eigenmodes are of polynomial form. Furthermore, these results shed new light onto the question whether the eigenmodes form a complete basis, i.e. whether any arbitrary velocity field can be expanded in a sum of inertial modes. Finally, we prove that two intriguing integral properties of inertial modes in rotating spheres and spheroids also extend to triaxial ellipsoids.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Geophysik , ETH Zürich , Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vantieghem
keywords: inertial modes; rotating flows; triaxial ellipsoid
references.citation: Nature. 2011 Nov 09;479(7372):215-8
references.pmid: 22071767