Plotting a vector field: quiver

A simple example showing how to plot a vector field (quiver) with matplotlib.

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

n = 8
X, Y = np.mgrid[0:n, 0:n]
T = np.arctan2(Y - n / 2.0, X - n / 2.0)
R = 10 + np.sqrt((Y - n / 2.0) ** 2 + (X - n / 2.0) ** 2)
U, V = R * np.cos(T), R * np.sin(T)

plt.axes((0.025, 0.025, 0.95, 0.95))
plt.quiver(X, Y, U, V, R, alpha=0.5)
plt.quiver(X, Y, U, V, edgecolor="k", facecolor="None", linewidth=0.5)

plt.xlim(-1, n)
plt.xticks([])
plt.ylim(-1, n)
plt.yticks([])

plt.show()