Sinusoidal cellular flow (${\psi }_0=-\sin x\sin y$)

Using $\mathbf{u}=(-{\psi }_y,{\psi }_x)$, the displayed stream function gives ${\mathbf{u}}_0=(\sin x\cos y,-\cos x\sin y)$. Its streamlines are level sets of ${\psi }_0$. At $(n\pi ,m\pi )$, the Jacobian matrix is $\mathrm{diag}((-1{)}^{n+m},-(-1{)}^{n+m})$, so the points are saddle equilibria. At $(\pi /2+n\pi ,\pi /2+m\pi )$ the eigenvalues are $\pm i$, giving center equilibria surrounded by closed streamlines. The grid lines $x=n\pi$ and $y=m\pi$ form heteroclinic orbits between adjacent saddles; circulation alternates between cells.

Perturb the sinusoidal cellular flow by $ϵ\cos x\cos y\sin (\omega t)$ in its stream function. On $y=0$, parameterizing the unperturbed orbit with $q_0(0)=(X_0,0)$ gives $x(s)=2\arctan e^{s+a}$, $a=\log \tan (X_0/2)$. The heteroclinic Melnikov function for a periodic planar flow has integrand ${\mathrm{sech}}^2(t-t_0+a)\sin (\omega t)$. Its odd part vanishes and the Fourier transform of ${\mathrm{sech}}^2$ gives the displayed result. For each fixed nonzero frequency its simple zeros produce transverse intersections at sufficiently small perturbation, hence exchange of fluid lobes across the former cell boundary. The leading splitting is exponentially small at high frequency; that estimate is not uniform in frequency and perturbation size.