The role of BKM-type theorems in 3D3D Euler, Navier-Stokes and Cahn-Hilliard-Navier-Stokes analysis

The Beale-Kato-Majda theorem contains a single criterion that controls the behaviour of solutions of the $3D$ incompressible Euler equations. Versions of this theorem are discussed in terms of the regularity issues surrounding the $3D$ incompressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations together with a phase-field model for the statistical mechanics of binary mixtures called the $3D$ Cahn-Hilliard-Navier-Stokes (CHNS) equations. A theorem of BKM-type is established for the CHNS equations for the full parameter range. Moreover, for this latter set, it is shown that there exists a Reynolds number and a bound on the energy-dissipation rate that, remarkably, reproduces the $Re^{3/4}$ upper bound on the inverse Kolmogorov length normally associated with the Navier-Stokes equations alone. An alternative length-scale is introduced and discussed, together with a set of pseudo-spectral computations on a $128^{3}$ grid.Comment: 3 figures and 3 table

Mathematics for 2d Interfaces

We present here a survey of recent results concerning the mathematical analysis of instabilities of the interface between two incompressible, non viscous, fluids of constant density and vorticity concentrated on the interface. This configuration includes the so-called Kelvin-Helmholtz (the two densities are equal), Rayleigh-Taylor (two different, nonzero, densities) and the water waves (one of the densities is zero) problems. After a brief review of results concerning strong and weak solutions of the Euler equation, we derive interface equations (such as the Birkhoff-Rott equation) that describe the motion of the interface. A linear analysis allows us to exhibit the main features of these equations (such as ellipticity properties); the consequences for the full, non linear, equations are then described. In particular, the solutions of the Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor problems are necessarily analytic if they are above a certain threshold of regularity (a consequence is the illposedness of the initial value problem in a non analytic framework). We also say a few words on the phenomena that may occur below this regularity threshold. Finally, special attention is given to the water waves problem, which is much more stable than the Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor configurations. Most of the results presented here are in 2d (the interface has dimension one), but we give a brief description of similarities and differences in the 3d case.Comment: Survey. To appear in Panorama et Synth\`ese

Exact two-dimensionalization of rapidly rotating large-Reynolds-number flows

We consider the flow of a Newtonian fluid in a three-dimensional domain, rotating about a vertical axis and driven by a vertically invariant horizontal body-force. This system admits vertically invariant solutions that satisfy the 2D Navier-Stokes equation. At high Reynolds number and without global rotation, such solutions are usually unstable to three-dimensional perturbations. By contrast, for strong enough global rotation, we prove rigorously that the 2D (and possibly turbulent) solutions are stable to vertically dependent perturbations: the flow becomes 2D in the long-time limit. These results shed some light on several fundamental questions of rotating turbulence: for arbitrary Reynolds number and small enough Rossby number, the system is attracted towards purely 2D flow solutions, which display no energy dissipation anomaly and no cyclone-anticyclone asymmetry. Finally, these results challenge the applicability of wave turbulence theory to describe stationary rotating turbulence in bounded domains.Comment: To be published in Journal of Fluid Mechanic

Finite-time blowup for a Navier-Stokes model equation for the self-amplification of strain

In this paper we consider a model equation for the Navier-Stokes strain equation. This model equation has the same identity for enstrophy growth and a number of the same regularity criteria as the full Navier-Stokes strain equation, and is also an evolution equation on the same constraint space. We prove finite-time blowup for this model equation, which shows that the identity for enstrophy growth and the strain constraint space are not sufficient on their own to guarantee global regularity. The mechanism for the finite-time blowup of this model equation is the self-amplification of strain, which is consistent with recent research suggesting that strain self-amplification, not vortex stretching, is the main mechanism behind the turbulent energy cascade. Because the strain self-amplification model equation is obtained by dropping certain terms from the full Navier-Stokes strain equation, we will also prove a conditional blowup result for the full Navier-Stokes equation involving a perturbative condition on the terms neglected in the model equation

Mathematical Aspects of Hydrodynamics

The workshop dealt with the partial differential equations that describe fluid motion, namely the Euler equations and the Navier-Stokes equations. This included topics in both inviscid and viscous fluids in two and three dimensions. A number of the talks were connected with issues of turbulence. Some talks addressed aspects of fluid dynamics such as magnetohydrodynamics, quantum and high energy physics, liquid crystals and the particle limit governed by the Boltzmann equations