Tensor Topology Tracking: A Visualization Method for Time‐Dependent 2D Symmetric Tensor Fields

Topological methods produce simple and meaningful depictions of symmetric, second order two‐dimensional tensor fields. Extending previous work dealing with vector fields, we propose here a scheme for the visualization of time‐dependent tensor fields. Basic notions of unsteady tensor topology are discussed. Topological changes ‐ known as bifurcations ‐ are precisely detected and identified by our method which permits an accurate tracking of degenerate points and related structures.