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We consider forced active scalar equations with even and homogeneous degree 0 drift operator on $\mathbb T^d$. Inspired by the non-uniqueness construction for dyadic fluid models, by implementing a sum-difference convex integration scheme we obtain non-unique weak solutions for the active scalar equation in space $C_t^0C_x^\alpha$ with $\alpha<\frac{1}{2d+1}$. We note that in 1D, the regularity $\alpha<\frac13$ is sharp as the energy identity is satisfied for solutions in $C^\alpha$ with $\alpha>\frac13$. Without external forcing, Isett and Vicol constructed non-unique weak solutions for such active scalar equations with spatial regularity $C_x^\alpha$ for $\alpha<\frac{1}{4d+1}$., Comment: 30 pages

We consider a general class of non-diffusive active scalar equations with constitutive laws obtained via an operator $\mathbf{T}$ that is singular of order $r_0\in[0,2]$. For $r_0\in(0,1]$ we prove well-posedness in Gevrey spaces $G^s$ with $s\in[1,\frac{1}{r_0})$, while for $r_0\in[1,2]$ and further conditions on $\mathbf{T}$ we prove ill-posedness in $G^s$ for suitable $s$. We then apply the ill/well-posedness results to several specific non-diffusive active scalar equations including the magnetogeostrophic equation, the incompressible porous media equation and the singular incompressible porous media equation.

Over the centuries mathematicians have been challenged by the partial differential equations (PDEs) that describe the motion of fluids in many physical contexts. Important and beautiful results were obtained in the past one hundred years, including the groundbreaking work of Ladyzhenskaya on the Navier-Stokes equations. However crucial questions such as the existence, uniqueness and regularity of the three dimensional Navier-Stokes equations remain open. Partly because of this mathematical challenge and partly motivated by the phenomena of turbulence, insights into the full PDEs have been sought via the study of simpler approximating systems that retain some of the original nonlinear features. One such simpler system is an infinite dimensional coupled set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations referred to a dyadic model. In this survey we provide a brief overview of dyadic models and describe recent results. In particular, we discuss results for certain dyadic models in the context of existence, uniqueness and regularity of solutions., Comment: 31 pages

We construct non-unique Leray-Hopf solutions for some dyadic models for magnetohydrodynamics when the intermittency dimension $\delta$ is less than 1. In contrast, uniqueness of Leray-Hopf solution is established in the case of $\delta\geq 1$. Analogous results on uniqueness and non-uniqueness of Leray-Hopf solution are also obtained for dyadic models of MHD with fractional diffusion., Comment: 25 pages

We investigate the stability properties for a family of equations introduced by Moffatt to model magnetic relaxation. These models preserve the topology of magnetic streamlines, contain a cubic nonlinearity, and yet have a favorable $L^2$ energy structure. We consider the local and global in time well-posedness of these models and establish a difference between the behavior as $t\to \infty$ with respect to weak and strong norms., Comment: 24 pages

We study two dyadic models for incompressible ideal magnetohydrodynamics, one with a uni-directional energy cascade and the other one with both forward and backward energy cascades. Global existence of weak solutions and local well-posedness are established for both models. In addition, solutions to the model with uni-directional energy cascade associated with positive initial data are shown to develop blow-up at a finite time. Moreover, a set of fixed points is found for each model. Linear instability about some particular fixed points is proved., Comment: 20 pages

Many equations that model fluid behaviour are derived from systems that encompass multiple physical forces. When the equations are written in non dimensional form appropriate to the physics of the situation, the resulting partial differential equations often contain several small parameters. We study a general class of such PDEs called active scalar equations which in specific parameter regimes produce certain well known models for fluid motion. We address various mathematical questions relating to well-posedness, regularity and long time behaviour of the solutions to this general class including vanishing limits of several diffusive parameters., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1902.04366, arXiv:2005.10667

We investigate the properties of an abstract family of advection diffusion equations in the context of the fractional Laplacian. Two independent diffusion parameters enter the system, one via the constitutive law for the drift velocity and one as the prefactor of the fractional Laplacian. We obtain existence and convergence results in certain parameter regimes and limits. We study the long time behaviour of solutions to the general problem and prove the existence of a unique global attractor. We apply results to two particular active scalar equations arising in geophysical fluid dynamics, namely the surface quasigeostrophic equation and the magnetogeostrophic equation.

This paper considers a family of non-diffusive active scalar equations where a viscosity type parameter enters the equations via the constitutive law that relates the drift velocity with the scalar field. The resulting operator is smooth when the viscosity is present but singular when the viscosity is zero. We obtain Gevrey-class local well-posedness results and convergence of solutions as the viscosity vanishes. We apply our results to two examples that are derived from physical systems: firstly a model for magnetostrophic turbulence in the Earth's fluid core and secondly flow in a porous media with an "effective viscosity".

We prove the global existence of classical solutions to a class of forced drift-diffusion equations with $L^2$ initial data and divergence free drift velocity $\{u^\nu\}_{\nu_\ge0}\subset L^\infty_t BMO^{-1}_x$, and we obtain strong convergence of solutions as the viscosity $\nu$ vanishes. We then apply our results to a family of active scalar equations which includes the three dimensional magneto-geostrophic $\{$MG$^\nu\}_{\nu\ge0}$ equation that has been proposed by Moffatt in the context of magnetostrophic turbulence in the Earth's fluid core. We prove the existence of a compact global attractor $\{\mathcal{A}^\nu\}_{\nu\ge0}$ in $L^2(\mathbb{T}^3)$ for the MG$^\nu$ equations including the critical equation where $\nu=0$. Furthermore, we obtain the upper semicontinuity of the global attractor as $\nu$ vanishes., Comment: 25 pages

We consider the three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations in the presence of a spatially degenerate stochastic forcing as a model for magnetostrophic turbulence in the Earth's fluid core. We examine the multi-parameter singular limit of vanishing Rossby number $\epsilon$ and magnetic Reynold's number $\delta$, and establish that: (i) the limiting stochastically driven active scalar equation (with $\epsilon =\delta=0$) possesses a unique ergodic invariant measure, and (ii) any suitable sequence of statistically invariant states of the full MHD system converge weakly, as $\epsilon,\delta \rightarrow 0$, to the unique invariant measure of the limit equation. This latter convergence result does not require any conditions on the relative rates at which $\varepsilon, \delta$ decay. Our analysis of the limit equation relies on a recently developed theory of hypo-ellipticity for infinite-dimensional stochastic dynamical systems. We carry out a detailed study of the interactions between the nonlinear and stochastic terms to demonstrate that a H\"{o}rmander bracket condition is satisfied, which yields a contraction property for the limit equation in a suitable Wasserstein metric. This contraction property reduces the convergence of invariant states in the multi-parameter limit to the convergence of solutions at finite times. However, in view of the phase space mismatch between the small parameter system and the limit equation, and due to the multi-parameter nature of the problem, further analysis is required to establish the singular limit. In particular, we develop methods to lift the contraction for the limit equation to the extended phase space, including the velocity and magnetic fields. Moreover, for the convergence of solutions at finite times we make use of a probabilistic modification of the Gr\"onwall inequality, relying on a delicate stopping time argument.

We study the three dimensional active scalar equation called the magneto-geostropic equation which was proposed by Moffatt and Loper as a model for the geodynamo processes in the Earth's fluid core. When the viscosity of the fluid is positive, the constitutive law that relates the drift velocity $u(x,t)$ and the scalar temperature $\theta(x,t)$ produces two orders of smoothing. We study the implications of this property. For example, we prove that in the case of the non-diffusive ($\varepsilon_\kappa=0$) active scalar equation, initial data $\theta_0\in L^3$ implies the existence of unique, global weak solutions. If $\theta_0\in W^{s,3}$ with $s>0$, then the solution $\theta(x,t)\in W^{s,3}$ for all time. In the case of positive diffusivity ($\varepsilon_\kappa>0$), even for singular initial data $\theta_0\in L^3$, the global solution is instantaneously $C^\infty$-smoothed and satisfies the drift-diffusion equation classically for all $t>0$. We demonstrate, via a particular example, that the viscous magneto-geostrophic equation permits exponentially growing "dynamo type" instabilities.

We establish the anomalous mean dissipation rate of energy in the inviscid limit for a stochastic shell model of turbulent fluid flow. The proof relies on viscosity independent bounds for stationary solutions and on establishing ergodic and mixing properties for the viscous model. The shell model is subject to a degenerate stochastic forcing in the sense that noise acts directly only through one wavenumber. We show that it is hypo-elliptic (in the sense of Hormander) and use this property to prove a gradient bound on the Markov semigroup.

We study the propagation of regularity of solutions to a three dimensional system of linear parabolic PDE known as the kinematic dynamo equations. The divergence free drift velocity is assumed to be at the critical regularity level with respect to the natural scaling of the equations., Comment: 10 pages

We discuss recent results obtained by the authors, regarding the analysis of the magneto-geostrophic equation: a model proposed by Moffat and Loper to study the geodynamo and turbulence in the Earth's fluid core. We conclude this review by indicating some open problems around the MG equation, that remain to be addressed in the future., Comment: 21 pages, 3 figure

We consider an iterative resolution scheme for a broad class of active scalar equations with a fractional power \gamma of the Laplacian and focus our attention on the second iterate. The main objective of our work is to analyze boundedness properties of the resulting bilinear operator, especially in the super-critical regime. Our results are two-fold: we prove continuity of the bilinear operator in BMO^{1-2\gamma} - a fractional analogue of the Koch-Tataru space; for equations with an even symbol we show that the B^{-\gamma}_{\infty,q} -regularity, where q > 2, is in a sense a minimal necessary requirement on the solution., Comment: This paper has been withdrawn by the author due to a crucial error in Section 3.3

In this paper we study a singularly modified version of the incompressible porous media equation. We investigate the implications for the local well-posedness of the equations by modifying, with a fractional derivative, the constitutive relation between the scalar density and the convecting divergence free velocity vector. Our analysis is motivated by recent work \cite{CCCGW} where it is shown that for the surface quasi-geostrophic equation such a singular modification of the constitutive law for the velocity, quite surprisingly still yields a locally well-posed problem. In contrast, for the singular active scalar equation discussed in this paper, local well-posedness does not hold for smooth solutions, but it does hold for certain weak solutions., Comment: To appear in: Journal of Mathematical Physics, Special Issue "Incompressible Fluids, Turbulence and Mixing"

In this paper we introduce a new PDE model in frequency space for the inertial energy cascade that reproduces the classical scaling laws of Kolmogorov's theory of turbulence. Our point of view is based upon studying the energy flux through a continuous range of scales rather than the discrete set of dyadic scales. The resulting model is a variant of Burgers equation on the half line with a boundary condition which represents a constant energy input at integral scales. The viscous dissipation is modeled via a damping term. We show existence of a unique stationary solution, both in the viscous and inviscid cases, which replicates the classical dissipation anomaly in the limit of vanishing viscosity. A survey of recent developments in the deterministic approach to the laws of turbulence, and in particular, to Onsager's conjecture is given., Comment: 16 pages

We address the well-posedness theory for the magento-geostrophic equation, namely an active scalar equation in which the divergence-free drift velocity is one derivative more singular than the active scalar. In the presence of supercritical fractional diffusion given by (-\Delta)^\gamma, where 0<\gamma<1, we discover that for \gamma>1/2 the equations are locally well-posed, while for \gamma<1/2 they are ill-posed, in the sense that there is no Lipschitz solution map. The main reason for the striking loss of regularity when \gamma goes below 1/2 is that the constitutive law used to obtain the velocity from the active scalar is given by an unbounded Fourier multiplier which is both even and anisotropic. Lastly, we note that the anisotropy of the constitutive law for the velocity may be explored in order to obtain an improvement in the regularity of the solutions when the initial data and the force have thin Fourier support, i.e. they are supported on a plane in frequency space. In particular, for such well-prepared data one may prove the local existence and uniqueness of solutions for all values of \gamma \in (0,1)., Comment: 24 pages

We consider an active scalar equation that is motivated by a model for magneto-geostrophic dynamics and the geodynamo. We prove that the non-diffusive equation is ill-posed in the sense of Hadamard in Sobolev spaces. In contrast, the critically diffusive equation is well-posed. In this case we give an example of a steady state that is nonlinearly unstable, and hence produces a dynamo effect in the sense of an exponentially growing magnetic field., Comment: We have modified the definition of Lipschitz well-posedness, in order to allow for a possible loss in regularity of the solution map

Motivated by an equation arising in magnetohydrodynamics, we prove that Holder continuous weak solutions of a nonlinear parabolic equation with singular drift velocity are classical solutions. The result is proved using the space-time Besov spaces introduced by Chemin and Lerner, combined with energy estimates, without any minimality assumption on the Holder exponent of the weak solutions.

We use De Giorgi techniques to prove H\"older continuity of weak solutions to a class of drift-diffusion equations, with $L^2$ initial data and divergence free drift velocity that lies in $L_{t}^{\infty}BMO_{x}^{-1}$. We apply this result to prove global regularity for a family of active scalar equations which includes the advection-diffusion equation that has been proposed by Moffatt in the context of magnetostrophic turbulence in the Earth's fluid core., Comment: To appear in Annales de l'Institut Henri Poincare - Analyse non lineaire

We prove that linear instability implies non-linear instability in the energy norm for the critically dissipative quasi-geostrophic equation., Comment: 16 pages, corrected typos, a global bound that was obtained for the unforced equation by Kiselev-Nazarov-Volberg obtained for the forced equation and utilized in the paper

A dyadic shell model for the Navier-Stokes equations is studied in the context of turbulence. The model is an infinite nonlinearly coupled system of ODEs. It is proved that the unique fixed point is a global attractor, which converges to the global attractor of the inviscid system as viscosity goes to zero. This implies that the average dissipation rate for the viscous system converges to the anomalous dissipation rate for the inviscid system (which is positive) as viscosity goes to zero. This phenomenon is called the dissipation anomaly predicted by Kolmogorov's theory for the actual Navier-Stokes equations.

Properties of an infinite system of nonlinearly coupled ordinary differential equations are discussed. This system models some properties present in the equations of motion for an inviscid fluid such as the skew symmetry and the 3-dimensional scaling of the quadratic nonlinearity. It is proved that the system with forcing has a unique equilibrium and that every solution blows up in finite time in $H^{5/6}$-norm. Onsager's conjecture is confirmed for the model system.

Properties of an infinite system of nonlinearly coupled ordinary differential equations are discussed. This system models some properties present in the equations of motion for an inviscid fluid such as the skew symmetry and the 3-dimensional scaling of the quadratic nonlinearity. In a companion paper [6] it is proved that every solution for the system with forcing blows up in finite time in the Sobolev $H^{5/6}$ norm. In this present paper, it is proved that after the blow-up time all solutions stay in $H^s$, $s<5/6$ for almost all time and the energy dissipates. Moreover, it is proved that the unique equilibrium is an exponential global attractor.

A general class of linear advective PDEs, whose leading order term is of viscous dissipative type, is considered. It is proved that beyond the limit of the essential spectrum of the underlying inviscid operator, the eigenvalues of the viscous operator, in the limit of vanishing viscosity, converge precisely to those of the inviscid operator. The general class of PDEs includes the equations of incompressible fluid dynamics. Hence eigenvalues of the Navier-Stokes operator converge in the inviscid limit to the eigenvalues of the Euler operator beyond the essential spectrum.

It is proved, using a bootstrap argument, that linear instability implies nonlinear instability for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in $L^p$ for all $p \in (1,\infty)$ and any finite or infinite domain in any dimension $n$.