The structure of a time-dependent methane/enriched-air flame established in an axisymmetric, laminar counter-flow configuration is investigated, as the flame interacts with two counterpropagating toroidal vortices. Computationally, the time-dependent equations are written using a modified vorticity-velocity formulation, with detailed chemistry and transport, and are solved implicitly on a nonstaggered, nonuniform grid. Boundary conditions are chosen to create local extinction and reignition in the vicinity of the axis of symmetry. Experimentally, CO planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), OH PLIF, and an observable proportional to the forward reaction rate (RR) of the reaction CO + OH -> CO2 + H are measured. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to characterize the velocity field of the vortical structures and to provide detailed boundary conditions for the simulations. Excellent agreement is found between model and experiments to the minutest morphological details throughout the interaction. The validated model is then used to probe the dynamics of the two-dimensional extinction process with high temporal resolution. During the initial phase of the interaction, the flame is locally extinguished by the two vortices. The resulting edge flame propagates outward as an extinction front, with a structure that does not depart significantly from that of a diffusion flame. The front recedes from the axis of symmetry with a negative propagation speed that reaches a value as large as six times that of the freely propagating laminar flame with the same reactant concentrations found at the stoichiometric surface. As the front propagates outward, it transitions to an ignition front, and it reaches a positive propagation speed comparable to that of the freely propagating laminar flame. During this transition, it develops a characteristic premixed '' hook,'' with a lean premixed branch, a stoichiometric segment that evolves into the remnant of the original primary diffusion flame, and a much weaker secondary diffusion flame resulting from a secondary peak in heat release in the original unperturbed diffusion flame. No evidence of a distinct rich premixed flame is found. The edge flame stabilizes at a radial location where the local gaseous speed equals the propagation speed of the front. When the local perturbation has decayed below the flame propagation speed, the flame edge starts reigniting the mixing layer as an ignition wave that propagates with an essentially frozen structure along the stoichiometric surface until the original diffusion flame structure is fully recovered. Implications for flamelet modeling of turbulent flames with local extinction are discussed.(c) 2007 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.