Remarks on the Helicity of the 3-D Incompressible Euler Equations

In this note we obtain a sufficient condition on the regularity of the weak solutions to guarantee the conservation of helicity for the 3-D incompressible Euler equations. As a corollary we obtain a lower bound of the vorticities for a weak solution of the Euler equations.     

Topology-Preserving Diffusion of Divergence-Free Vector Fields and Magnetic Relaxation

The usual heat equation is not suitable to preserve the topology of divergence-free vector fields, because it destroys their integral line structure. On the contrary, in the fluid mechanics literature, one can find examples of topology-preserving diffusion equations for divergence-free vector fields. They are very degenerate since they admit all stationary solutions to the Euler equations of incompressible fluids as equilibrium points. For them, we provide a suitable concept of “dissipative solutions”, which shares common features with both P.-L. Lions’s dissipative solutions to the Euler equations and the concept of “curves of maximal slopes”, à la De Giorgi, recently used to study the scalar heat equation in very general metric spaces. We show that the initial value problem admits such global solutions, at least in the two space variable case, and they are unique whenever they are smooth.     

Large Time Behavior for Vortex Evolution in the Half-Plane

 In this article we study the long-time behavior of incompressible ideal flow in a half plane from the point of view of vortex scattering. Our main result is that certain asymptotic states for half-plane vortex dynamics decompose naturally into a nonlinear superposition of soliton-like states. Our approach is to combine techniques developed in the study of vortex confinement with weak convergence tools in order to study the asymptotic behavior of a self-similar rescaling of a solution of the incompressible 2D Euler equations on a half plane with compactly supported, nonnegative initial vorticity. Received: 28 June 2002 / Accepted: 6 January 2003 Published online: 5 May 2003 RID="⋆" ID="⋆" Research supported in part by CNPq grant 300.962/91-6 RID="⋆⋆" ID="⋆⋆" Research supported in part by CNPq grant 300.158/93-9 Communicated by P. Constantin     

Oscillations and concentrations in weak solutions of the incompressible fluid equations

The authors introduce a new concept of measure-valued solution for the 3-D incompressible Euler equations in order to incorporate the complex phenomena present in limits of approximate solutions of these equations. One application of the concepts developed here is the following important result: a sequence of Leray-Hopf weak solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations converges in the high Reynolds number limit to a measure-valued solution of 3-D Euler defined for all positive times. The authors present several explicit examples of solution sequences for 3-D incompressible Euler with uniformly bounded local kinetic energy which exhibit complex phenomena involving both persistence of oscillations and development of concentrations. An extensions of the concept of Young measure is developed to incorporate these complex phenomena in the measure-valued solutions constructed here.Partially supported by N.S.F. GrantPartially supported by N.S.F. Grant 84-0223 and 86-11110     

Global Solution to the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Flow of Liquid Crystals

The equations for the three-dimensional incompressible flow of liquid crystals are considered in a smooth bounded domain. The existence and uniqueness of the global strong solution with small initial data are established. It is also proved that when the strong solution exists, all the global weak solutions constructed in [16] must be equal to the unique strong solution.     

Incompressible Limit of the Compressible Magnetohydrodynamic Equations with Periodic Boundary Conditions

This paper is concerned with the incompressible limit of the compressible magnetohydrodynamic equations with periodic boundary conditions. It is rigorously shown that the weak solutions of the compressible magnetohydrodynamic equations converge to the strong solution of the viscous or inviscid incompressible magnetohydrodynamic equations as long as the latter exists both for the well-prepared initial data and general initial data. Furthermore, the convergence rates are also obtained in the case of the well-prepared initial data.     

Asymptotic Analysis of Conserved Densities Evaluated on Invariant Solutions Associated with Large Scale Nonlinear Zonal Flows Around the Rotating Sphere

We study the asymptotic behavior of the conserved densities deduced form the Lagrangian corresponding to the nonlinear two-dimensional Euler equations describing nonviscous incompressible fluid flows on a three-dimensional rotating spherical surface superimposed by a particular stationary latitude dependent flow. Under the assumption of no friction and a distribution of temperature dependent only upon latitude, the equations in question can be used to model zonal west-to-east flows in the upper atmosphere between the Ferrel and Polar cells. The conserved densities were analyzed and visualized by using the exact invariant solutions associated with the given model for the particular form of finite disturbances for which the invariant solutions are also exact solutions of Navier-Stokes equations.     

Zero Viscosity Limit for Analytic Solutions of the Navier-Stokes Equation on a Half-Space.¶ II. Construction of the Navier-Stokes Solution

This is the second of two papers on the zero-viscosity limit for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in a half-space in either 2D or 3D. Under the assumption of analytic initial data, we construct solutions of Navier-Stokes for a short time which is independent of the viscosity. The Navier-Stokes solution is constructed through a composite asymptotic expansion involving the solutions of the Euler and Prandtl equations, which were constructed in the first paper, plus an error term. This shows that the Navier-Stokes solution goes to an Euler solution outside a boundary layer and to a solution of the Prandtl equations within the boundary layer. The error term is written as a sum of first order Euler and Prandtl corrections plus a further error term. The equation for the error term is weakly nonlinear; its linear part is the time dependent Stokes equation. This error equation is solved by inversion of the Stokes equation, through expressing the solution as a regular (Euler-like) part plus a boundary layer (Prandtl-like) part. The main technical tool in this analysis is the Abstract Cauchy-Kowalewski Theorem. Received: 5 September 1996 / Accepted: 14 July 1997     

Method of generalized Cole-Hopf substitutions for dimension 1+2 and integrable models for two-dimensional compressible flows

The method for integration of nonlinear equations using the generalized Cole-Hopf substitutions is extended to the case of dimension 1+2. The general structure of the solutions of the Euler equations for two-dimensional compressible fluid flows is analyzed. A method is developed for constructing new exact solutions describing two-dimensional compressible and incompressible flows.     

Vanishing of Vacuum States and Blow-up Phenomena of the Compressible Navier-Stokes Equations

The Navier-Stokes systems for compressible fluids with density-dependent viscosities are considered in the present paper. These equations, in particular, include the ones which are rigorously derived recently as the Saint-Venant system for the motion of shallow water, from the Navier-Stokes system for incompressible flows with a moving free surface [14]. These compressible systems are degenerate when vacuum state appears. We study initial-boundary-value problems for such systems for both bounded spatial domains or periodic domains. The dynamics of weak solutions and vacuum states are investigated rigorously. First, it is proved that the entropy weak solutions for general large initial data satisfying finite initial entropy exist globally in time. Next, for more regular initial data, there is a global entropy weak solution which is unique and regular with well-defined velocity field for short time, and the interface of initial vacuum propagates along the particle path during this time period. Then, it is shown that for any global entropy weak solution, any (possibly existing) vacuum state must vanish within finite time. The velocity (even if regular enough and well-defined) blows up in finite time as the vacuum states vanish. Furthermore, after the vanishing of vacuum states, the global entropy weak solution becomes a strong solution and tends to the non-vacuum equilibrium state exponentially in time.     

On the Convergence Rate of the Euler-α, an Inviscid Second-Grade Complex Fluid, Model to the Euler Equations

We study the convergence rate of the solutions of the incompressible Euler-α, an inviscid second-grade complex fluid, equations to the corresponding solutions of the Euler equations, as the regularization parameter α approaches zero. First we show the convergence in H ^s , s>n/2+1, in the whole space, and that the smooth Euler-α solutions exist at least as long as the corresponding solution of the Euler equations. Next we estimate the convergence rate for two-dimensional vortex patch with smooth boundaries.     

Ergodicity of 2D Navier–Stokes Equations with¶Random Forcing and Large Viscosity

The stochastically forced, two-dimensional, incompressable Navier–Stokes equations are shown to possess an unique invariant measure if the viscosity is taken large enough. This result follows from a stronger result showing that at high viscosity there is a unique stationary solution which attracts solutions started from arbitrary initial conditions. That is to say, the system has a trivial random attractor. Along the way, results controling the expectation and averaging time of the energy and enstrophy are given. Received: 16 February 1998 / Accepted: 19 March 1999     

The compressible Euler equations in a bounded domain: Existence of solutions and the incompressible limit

A short-time existence theorem is proven for the Euler equations for nonisentropic compressible fluid flow in a bounded domain, and solutions with low Mach number and almost incompressible initial data are shown to be close to corresponding solutions of the equations for incompressible flow.Partially supported by Department of Energy contracts DEAC0276ER03077-III, V, Current address: Mathematics Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA     

Fluid dynamic limits of kinetic equations. I. Formal derivations

The connection between kinetic theory and the macroscopic equations of fluid dynamics is described. In particular, our results concerning the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are based on a formal derivation in which limiting moments are carefully balanced rather than on a classical expansion such as those of Hilbert or Chapman-Enskog. The moment formalism shows that the limit leading to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, like that leading to the compressible Euler equations, is a natural one in kinetic theory and is contrasted with the systematics leading to the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Some indications of the validity of these limits are given. More specifically, the connection between the DiPerna-Lions renormalized solution of the classical Boltzmann equation and the Leray solution of the Navier-Stokes equations is discussed.This paper is dedicated to Joel Lebowitz on his 60th-birthday.     

Nonlinear Stability for Steady Vortex Pairs

In this article, we prove nonlinear orbital stability for steadily translating vortex pairs, a family of nonlinear waves that are exact solutions of the incompressible, two-dimensional Euler equations. We use an adaptation of Kelvin’s variational principle, maximizing kinetic energy penalised by a multiple of momentum among mirror-symmetric isovortical rearrangements. This formulation has the advantage that the functional to be maximized and the constraint set are both invariant under the flow of the time-dependent Euler equations, and this observation is used strongly in the analysis. Previous work on existence yields a wide class of examples to which our result applies.     

Vortex structures with complex points singularities in two-dimensional Euler equations. New exact solutions

In this work we present a new class of exact stationary solutions for two-dimensional (2D) Euler equations. Unlike already known solutions, the new ones contain complex singularities. We consider point singularities which have a vector field index greater than 1 as complex. For example, the dipole singularity is complex because its index is equal to 2. We present in explicit form a large class of exact localized stationary solutions for 2D Euler equations with a singularity whose index is equal to 3. The solutions obtained are expressed in terms of elementary functions. These solutions represent a complex singularity point surrounded by a vortex satellite structure. We also discuss the motion equation of singularities and conditions for singularity point stationarity which provide the stationarity of the complex vortex configuration.     

Spectral/hp least-squares finite element formulation for the Navier–Stokes equations

We consider the application of least-squares finite element models combined with spectral/hp methods for the numerical solution of viscous flow problems. The paper presents the formulation, validation, and application of a spectral/hp algorithm to the numerical solution of the Navier–Stokes equations governing two- and three-dimensional stationary incompressible and low-speed compressible flows. The Navier–Stokes equations are expressed as an equivalent set of first-order equations by introducing vorticity or velocity gradients as additional independent variables and the least-squares method is used to develop the finite element model. High-order element expansions are used to construct the discrete model. The discrete model thus obtained is linearized by Newton’s method, resulting in a linear system of equations with a symmetric positive definite coefficient matrix that is solved in a fully coupled manner by a preconditioned conjugate gradient method. Spectral convergence of the L₂ least-squares functional and L₂ error norms is verified using smooth solutions to the two-dimensional stationary Poisson and incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. Numerical results for flow over a backward-facing step, steady flow past a circular cylinder, three-dimensional lid-driven cavity flow, and compressible buoyant flow inside a square enclosure are presented to demonstrate the predictive capability and robustness of the proposed formulation.     

Zero Viscosity Limit for Analytic Solutions, of the Navier-Stokes Equation on a Half-Space.¶I. Existence for Euler and Prandtl Equations

This is the first of two papers on the zero-viscosity limit for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in a half-space. In this paper we prove short time existence theorems for the Euler and Prandtl equations with analytic initial data in either two or three spatial dimensions. The main technical tool in this analysis is the abstract Cauchy-Kowalewski theorem. For the Euler equations, the projection method is used in the primitive variables, to which the Cauchy-Kowalewski theorem is directly applicable. For the Prandtl equations, Cauchy-Kowalewski is applicable once the diffusion operator in the vertical direction is inverted. Received: 5 September 1995 / Accepted: 14 July 1997     

On the Partial Regularity of a 3D Model of the Navier-Stokes Equations

We study the partial regularity of a 3D model of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations which was recently introduced by the authors in [11]. This model is derived for axisymmetric flows with swirl using a set of new variables. It preserves almost all the properties of the full 3D Euler or Navier-Stokes equations except for the convection term which is neglected in the model. If we add the convection term back to our model, we would recover the full Navier-Stokes equations. In [11], we presented numerical evidence which seems to support that the 3D model develops finite time singularities while the corresponding solution of the 3D Navier-Stokes equations remains smooth. This suggests that the convection term play an essential role in stabilizing the nonlinear vortex stretching term. In this paper, we prove that for any suitable weak solution of the 3D model in an open set in space-time, the one-dimensional Hausdorff measure of the associated singular set is zero. The partial regularity result of this paper is an analogue of the Caffarelli-Kohn-Nirenberg theory for the 3D Navier-Stokes equations.     

A two-dimensional vibration analysis of piezoelectrically actuated microbeam with nonideal boundary conditions

In this paper, the influences of nonideal boundary conditions (due to flexibility) on the primary resonant behavior of a piezoelectrically actuated microbeam have been studied, for the first time. The structure has been assumed to treat as an Euler–Bernoulli beam, considering the effects of geometric nonlinearity. In this work, the general nonideal supports have been modeled as a the combination of horizontal, vertical and rotational springs, simultaneously. Allocating particular values to the stiffness of these springs provides the mathematical models for the majority of boundary conditions. This consideration leads to use a two-dimensional analysis of the multiple scales method instead of previous works' method (one-dimensional analysis). If one neglects the nonideal effects, then this paper would be an effort to solve the two-dimensional equations of motion without a need of a combination of these equations using the shortening or stretching effect. Letting the nonideal effects equal to zero and comparing their results with the results of previous approaches have been demonstrated the accuracy of the two-dimensional solutions. The results have been identified the unique effects of constraining and stiffening of boundaries in horizontal, vertical and rotational directions. This means that it is inaccurate to suppose the nonideality of supports only in one or two of these directions like as previous works. The findings are of vital importance as a better prediction of the frequency response for the nonideal supports. Furthermore, the main findings of this effort can help to choose appropriate boundary conditions for desired systems.