Stokes waves in rotational flows: internal stagnation and overhanging profiles

Abstract: Periodic travelling waves at the free surface of an incompressible inviscid fluid in two dimensions under gravity are numerically computed for an arbitrary vorticity distribution. The fluid domain over one period is conformally mapped from a fixed rectangular one, where the governing equations along with the conformal mapping are solved using a finite difference scheme. This approach accommodates internal stagnation points, critical layers, and overhanging profiles, thereby overcoming limitations of previous studies. The numerical method is validated through comparisons with known solutions for zero and constant vorticity. Novel solutions are presented for affine vorticity functions and a two-layer constant vorticity scenario.