Two-dimensional vortex dynamics (${\zeta }_t+J(\psi ,\zeta )=0,{\nabla }^2\psi =\zeta$)

For inviscid planar incompressible flow, write velocity as $(-{\psi }_y,{\psi }_x)$ and vorticity as $\zeta ={\nabla }^2\psi$. Taking curl of the Euler equations for an inviscid fluid removes pressure and gives the displayed transport equation, with $J(\psi ,\zeta )={\psi }_x{\zeta }_y-{\psi }_y{\zeta }_x$. The Poisson equation then recovers the streamfunction at each instant. A velocity tangent to the plane cannot stretch its perpendicular vorticity vector.

In a steady inviscid planar incompressible flow, vorticity is constant along streamlines. A regular stream function supplies a local transverse coordinate, so locally $\Delta \psi$ depends only on $\psi$. A global single-valued function needs the same value on every component of each level set. This can fail: $\psi =x^3-x$ gives the steady Euler shear $(u,v)=(0,1-3x^2)$ with constant pressure, but $\psi (0)=\psi (1)=0$ while $\Delta \psi$ is respectively $0$ and $6$.