Transition and Stability of 3D MHD Around Couette Flow
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arXiv
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866918208252936192 |
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| author | Knobel, Niklas |
| author_facet | Knobel, Niklas |
| contents | We study the three-dimensional incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations near Couette flow with a constant magnetic field perpendicular to the shear plane. Couette flow induces mixing and generates magnetic induction, while the constant magnetic field stabilizes $z$-dependent modes. In contrast, the $z$-averaged magnetic field exhibits algebraic growth. Letting $μ$ denote the inverse fluid and magnetic Reynolds numbers, we analyze how $μ$ governs stability thresholds in Sobolev spaces.
We identify a nonlinear transient-growth regime characterized by the sharp threshold $5/6\le γ\le 1 $. For $x$-average-free initial data of size $μ^γ$, solutions are nonlinearly stable; however, for certain initial data, the solution departs from the linear dynamics at rate $μ^{γ-1}$ due to a first-order nonlinear instability. The exponent $γ= 5/6$ is optimal for the associated energy functional and cannot be improved in Sobolev spaces without secondary transient-growth mechanisms. Below this threshold, solutions necessarily transition away from the linear dynamics at a minimal rate.
As a consequence, the $3d$ results yield sharp Sobolev stability thresholds for the $2d$ MHD equations around Couette flow without a constant magnetic field. In particular, the threshold is strictly larger than in prior $2d$ results with a constant field, revealing destabilizing effects normally suppressed by a constant magnetic field. Crucially, this stabilization is restricted to the direction of the magnetic field. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_14609 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Transition and Stability of 3D MHD Around Couette Flow Knobel, Niklas Analysis of PDEs We study the three-dimensional incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations near Couette flow with a constant magnetic field perpendicular to the shear plane. Couette flow induces mixing and generates magnetic induction, while the constant magnetic field stabilizes $z$-dependent modes. In contrast, the $z$-averaged magnetic field exhibits algebraic growth. Letting $μ$ denote the inverse fluid and magnetic Reynolds numbers, we analyze how $μ$ governs stability thresholds in Sobolev spaces. We identify a nonlinear transient-growth regime characterized by the sharp threshold $5/6\le γ\le 1 $. For $x$-average-free initial data of size $μ^γ$, solutions are nonlinearly stable; however, for certain initial data, the solution departs from the linear dynamics at rate $μ^{γ-1}$ due to a first-order nonlinear instability. The exponent $γ= 5/6$ is optimal for the associated energy functional and cannot be improved in Sobolev spaces without secondary transient-growth mechanisms. Below this threshold, solutions necessarily transition away from the linear dynamics at a minimal rate. As a consequence, the $3d$ results yield sharp Sobolev stability thresholds for the $2d$ MHD equations around Couette flow without a constant magnetic field. In particular, the threshold is strictly larger than in prior $2d$ results with a constant field, revealing destabilizing effects normally suppressed by a constant magnetic field. Crucially, this stabilization is restricted to the direction of the magnetic field. |
| title | Transition and Stability of 3D MHD Around Couette Flow |
| topic | Analysis of PDEs |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.14609 |