Variational study of steady flows stability in incompressible fluids

Using information theory, a new variational principle for incompressible fluids is derived. This principle is similar to a known plasma stability criterion which has successfully been applied to study the stability of different steady flows. Its main advantages, when compared to traditional methods, are: (1) to obtain the stability of a given equilibrium, only the equilibrium configuration is required, and (2) the simplicity of the calculation involved.