  Polar vortices are common planetary flows that encircle the pole in the
middle or high latitudes, and are observed on most of the solar systems'
planetary atmospheres. The polar vortices on Earth, Mars, and Titan are
dynamically related to the mean meridional circulation and exhibits a
significant seasonal cycle. However, the polar vortex's characteristics vary
between the three planets. To understand the mechanisms that influence the
polar vortex's dynamics and dependence on planetary parameters, we use an
idealized general circulation model with a seasonal cycle in which we varied
the obliquity, rotation rate, and orbital period. We find that there are
distinct regimes for the polar vortex seasonal cycle across the parameter
space. Some regimes have similarities to the observed polar vortices, including
a weakening of the polar vortex during midwinter at slow rotation rates,
similar to Titan's polar vortex. However, other regimes found within the
parameter space have no counterpart in the solar system. In addition, we show
that for a significant fraction of the parameter space, the vortex's potential
vorticity latitudinal structure is annular, similar to the observed structure
of the polar vortex on Mars and Titan. We also find a suppression of storm
activity during midwinter that resembles the suppression observed on Mars and
Earth, which occurs in simulations where the jet speed is greater than ~60
ms$^{-1}$. This wide variety of polar vortex dynamical regimes that shares
similarities to observed polar vortices suggests that among exoplanets, there
can be a wide variability of polar vortices.
