Generation of swirl due to symmetry breaking

We study symmetry breaking in a meridional steady motion of viscous incompressible fluids by considering the case of a laminar axisymmetric ''vortex dynamo.'' Using a linear and subsequently a nonlinear analysis we demonstrate the feasibility of a supercritical pitchfork birfurcation from an initially ''trivial'' nonswirling flow solution to one with a steady (clockwise or counterclockwise) swirling regime as the Reynolds number exceeds a critical value. This agrees with recent experimental results for a flow inside a conical meniscus, as observed in electrosprays.