arXiv subjects

Robin Ming Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Robin Ming Chen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Long-Wave Stability And Instability Of Periodic Shear Flows For The 2D Navier-Stokes Equations On The $β$-Plane

We study the spectral stability of periodic shear flows for the two-dimensional Navier--Stokes equations on the $β$-plane in the long-wave regime. While it is known that non-rotating periodic shear flows are generically unstable to sufficiently long-wave perturbations, our results show that planetary rotation suppresses this instability mechanism. Using a perturbative analysis based on Kato's reduction, we derive an asymptotic expansion for the principal eigenvalue of the linearized operator that is uniform in the Rossby parameter $β\geq 0$, and establish an explicit stability criterion in terms of the shear profile, the viscosity, and the Rossby parameter. Under the critical scaling where the Rossby parameter $β$ and the rescaled longitudinal wavenumber $\varepsilon$ are of comparable size, this criterion extends Yudovich's classical long-wave instability threshold to rotating flows and reveals a sharp transition between stability and instability governed by the range of the ratio $β/\varepsilon$. These results provide a rigorous analysis of how viscosity, shear, and planetary rotation interact to determine long-wave stability on the $β$-plane.

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arXiv2026

On Serrin Interior Regularity Criterion for Navier-Stokes Equations

We revisit Serrin's interior spatial regularity criterion for distributional solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations in $\mathbb R^3$ and considerably relax the hypotheses in two main directions. More precisely, we show that if $u\in{L_t^{s'}L_x^s}$ locally is a distributional solution to the Navier-Stokes equations with $\frac2{s'}+\frac3s=1$ for $s'\in[4,\infty)$, then $u\in L^q_t(C_x^\infty)$ locally for all $q\in(2,s')$. If $s'\in(2,4)$, the same conclusion holds provided that in addition $u\in L_t^4(L_x^p)$ locally, for some $p>1$. In particular, we remove any integrability hypothesis on the vorticity, and we reduce the requirement of integrability in time all the way to $L^4$ from $L^\infty$. To achieve this, we employ a new bootstrap argument, distinct from Serrin's, and we argue that a reduction of the exponent in time integrability does not follow from Serrin's original argument.

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arXiv2026

Nonlinear stability of compressible vortex sheets in three-dimensional elastodynamics

We investigate the nonlinear stability of compressible vortex sheet solutions for three-dimensional (3D) isentropic elastic flows. Building upon previous results on the weakly linear stability of elastic vortex sheets [19], we perform a detailed study of the roots of the Lopatinskii determinant and identify a geometric stability condition associated with the deformation gradient. We employ an upper triangularization technique that isolates the outgoing modes into a closed system, where they appear only at the leading order. This enables us to derive energy estimates despite derivative loss. The major novelty of our approach includes the following two key aspects: (1) For the 3D compressible Euler vortex sheets, the front symbol exhibits degenerate ellipticity in certain frequency directions, which makes it challenging to ensure the front's regularity using standard energy estimates. Our analysis reveals that the non-parallel structure of the deformation gradient tensor plays a crucial role in recovering ellipticity in the front symbol, thereby enhancing the regularity of the free interface. (2) Another significant challenge in 3D arises from the strong degeneracy caused by the collision of repeated roots and poles. Unlike in 2D, where such interactions are absent, we encounter a co-dimension one set in frequency space where a double root coincides with a double pole. To resolve this, we refine Coulombel's diagonalization framework [21] and construct a suitable transformation that reduces the degeneracy order of the Lopatinskii matrix, enabling the use of localized Garding-type estimates to control the characteristic components. Finally, we employ a Nash-Moser iteration scheme to establish the local existence and nonlinear stability of vortex sheets under small initial perturbations, showing stability within a subsonic regime.

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arXiv2026

Universality in the Low Mach number limit via a convex integration framework

We study the low Mach number limit of the compressible Euler equations through the lens of convex integration. For any prescribed $L^2$ weak solution of the incompressible Euler equations, we construct a corresponding family of weak solutions to the compressible Euler equations via a refined convex integration scheme. We then prove that, as the Mach number tends to zero, this family of solutions converges strongly to the given incompressible solution. This result demonstrates that the incompressible system acts as a universal attractor in this setting: every incompressible flow can be realized as the limit of convex integration solutions to the compressible system. Our approach highlights a new form of universality for singular limits and provides a rigorous framework for understanding the incompressible limit from the perspective of weak solution theory.

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arXiv2026

Asymptotic stability of smooth solitons and multi-solitons for the Camassa--Holm equation

We establish the asymptotic stability of smooth solitons and multi-solitons for the Camassa-Holm (CH) equation in the energy space $H^1(\R)$. We show that solutions initially close to a soliton converge, up to translation, weakly in $H^1(\R)$ as time tends to infinity to a (possibly different) soliton. The analysis is based on a Liouville-type rigidity theorem characterizing solutions that remain localized near a soliton trajectory. A central feature of the proof is a complete spectral resolution of the linearized CH operator around a soliton. This linear theory is obtained via the bi-Hamiltonian and integrable structure of the CH equation, through the recursion operator and the completeness of the associated squared eigenfunctions. It provides a substitute for the classical spectral framework used in KdV and gKdV equations, which is unavailable in the nonlocal and variable-coefficient setting of CH. The spectral resolution yields sharp decay estimates for the linearized flow in exponentially weighted spaces, which in turn lead to the nonlinear rigidity result and the asymptotic stability of a single soliton. Combined with known orbital stability results, this approach extends to well-ordered trains of solitons and to the explicit multi-soliton solutions generated by the inverse scattering method. As an additional application, we revisit the linearized problems associated with other integrable dispersive equations, including the KdV and mKdV equations, from the perspective of squared-eigenfunction expansions.

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arXiv2025

Extreme internal waves: gravity currents and overturning fronts

Hydrodynamic bores are front-type traveling wave solutions to the two-layer free boundary Euler equations in two dimensions. The velocity field in each layer is assumed to be incompressible and irrotational, and it limits to distinct laminar flows upstream and downstream. Rigid horizontal boundaries confine the fluids from above and below. A constant gravitational force acts on the waves, but surface tension is neglected. It was recently shown by the authors that there exist two large-amplitude families of hydrodynamic bores: a curve of depression bores and a curve of elevation bores. We now prove that in the limit along the elevation bore family, the solutions must overturn: the interface separating the layers develops a vertical tangent. This type of behavior was first observed over 45 years ago in numerical computations of internal gravity waves and gravity water waves with vorticity. Despite considerable progress over the past decade in constructing families of water waves that potentially overturn, a proof that overturning definitively occurs has been stubbornly elusive. We further show that in the limit along the depression bore family, either overturning occurs or the solutions converge to a gravity current: the free boundary contacts the upper wall and the relative velocity in the upper fluid is stagnant. We also determine the contact angle between the interface and the rigid barrier for the limiting gravity current, giving the first rigorous confirmation of a conjecture of von Kármán. The resolutions of these questions in the specific case of hydrodynamic bores is accomplished through the use of novel geometric analysis techniques, including bounds on the decay of the velocity field near a hypothetical double stagnation point. These ideas may have broader applications to bifurcation theoretic studies of large-amplitude waves.

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arXiv2025

Finite-time self-similar implosion of hollow vortices

In this paper, we consider the finite-time blowup of hollow vortices. These are solutions of the two-dimensional Euler equations for which the fluid domain is the complement of finitely many Jordan curves $Γ_1, \ldots, Γ_M$, and such that the flow is irrotational and incompressible, but with a nonzero circulation around each boundary component. The region bounded by $Γ_k$ is a ``vortex core'', modeled as a bubble of ideal gas: the pressure is constant in space and inversely proportional to the area of the vortex. This can be thought of as the isobaric approximation assuming isothermal flow. Our results come in two parts. There exist explicit families of purely circular rotating and imploding hollow vortices. Implosion means more precisely that the vortex core shrinks to the origin in finite time, while the absolute value of the pressure simultaneously diverges to infinity. We prove that for any $m \geq 2$, there exist near-circular $m$-fold symmetric rotating hollow vortices. By contrast, for all $m \geq 2$, the purely circular imploding vortices are locally unique among all collapsing vortices with uniform velocity at infinity. The second part concerns configurations of multiple hollow vortices. The existence of configurations of point vortices that collapse into a common point in finite time is classical. We prove that generically, these can be desingularized to yield families of hollow vortex configurations exhibiting self-similar finite-time implosion. Specific examples of an imploding trio and quartet of hollow vortices are given.

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arXiv2024

Non-uniqueness for continuous solutions to 1D hyperbolic systems

In this paper, we show that a geometrical condition on $2\times2$ systems of conservation laws leads to non-uniqueness in the class of 1D continuous functions. This demonstrates that the Liu Entropy Condition alone is insufficient to guarantee uniqueness, even within the mono-dimensional setting. We provide examples of systems where this pathology holds, even if they verify stability and uniqueness for small BV solutions. Our proof is based on the convex integration process. Notably, this result represents the first application of convex integration to construct non-unique continuous solutions in one dimension.

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arXiv2024

Vortex-carrying solitary gravity waves of large amplitude

In this paper, we study two-dimensional traveling waves in finite-depth water that are acted upon solely by gravity. We prove that, for any supercritical Froude number (non-dimensionalized wave speed), there exists a continuous one-parameter family $\mathcal{C}$ of solitary waves in equilibrium with a submerged point vortex. This family bifurcates from an irrotational uniform flow, and, at least for large Froude numbers, extends up to the development of a surface singularity. These are the first rigorously constructed gravity wave-borne point vortices without surface tension, and notably our formulation allows the free surface to be overhanging. We also provide a numerical bifurcation study of traveling periodic gravity waves with submerged point vortices, which strongly suggests that some of these waves indeed overturn. Finally, we prove that at generic solutions on $\mathcal{C}$ $\unicode{x2013}$ including those that are large amplitude or even overhanging $\unicode{x2013}$ the point vortex can be desingularized to obtain solitary waves with a submerged hollow vortex. Physically, these can be thought of as traveling waves carrying spinning bubbles of air.

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arXiv2024

Spectral analysis of periodic $b$-KP equation under transverse perturbation

The $b$-family-Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation ($b$-KP) is a two dimensional generalization of the $b$-family equation. In this paper, we study the spectral stability of the one-dimensional small-amplitude periodic traveling waves with respect to two-dimensional perturbations which are either co-periodic in the direction of propagation, or nonperiodic (localized or bounded). We perform a detailed spectral analysis of the linearized problem associated to the above mentioned perturbations, and derive various stability and instability criteria which depends in a delicate way on the parameter value of $b$, the transverse dispersion parameter $σ$, and the wave number $k$ of the longitudinal waves.

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arXiv2023

Global bifurcation for monotone fronts of elliptic equations

In this paper, we present two results on global continuation of monotone front-type solutions to elliptic PDEs posed on infinite cylinders. This is done under quite general assumptions, and in particular applies even to fully nonlinear equations as well as quasilinear problems with transmission boundary conditions. Our approach is rooted in the analytic global bifurcation theory of Dancer and Buffoni--Toland, but extending it to unbounded domains requires contending with new potential limiting behavior relating to loss of compactness. We obtain an exhaustive set of alternatives for the global behavior of the solution curve that is sharp, with each possibility having a direct analogue in the bifurcation theory of second-order ODEs. As a major application of the general theory, we construct global families of internal hydrodynamic bores. These are traveling front solutions of the full two-phase Euler equation in two dimensions. The fluids are confined to a channel that is bounded above and below by rigid walls, with incompressible and irrotational flow in each layer. Small-amplitude fronts for this system have been obtained by several authors. We give the first large-amplitude result in the form of continuous curves of elevation and depression bores. Following the elevation curve to its extreme, we find waves whose interfaces either overturn (develop a vertical tangent) or become exceptionally singular in that the flow in both layers degenerates at a single point on the boundary. For the curve of depression waves, we prove that either the interface overturns or it comes into contact with the upper wall.

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arXiv2023

Desingularization and global continuation for hollow vortices

A hollow vortex is a region of constant pressure bounded by a vortex sheet and suspended inside a perfect fluid; it can therefore be interpreted as a spinning bubble of air in water. This paper gives a general method for desingularizing non-degenerate steady point vortex configurations into collections of steady hollow vortices. Our machinery simultaneously treats the translating, rotating, and stationary regimes. Through global bifurcation theory, we further obtain maximal curves of solutions that continue until the onset of a singularity. As specific examples, we give the first existence theory for co-rotating hollow vortex pairs and stationary hollow vortex tripoles, as well as a new construction of Pocklington's classical co-translating hollow vortex pairs. All of these families extend into the non-perturbative regime, and we obtain a rather complete characterization of the limiting behavior along the global bifurcation curve.

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arXiv2022

Rigidity of three-dimensional internal waves with constant vorticity

This paper studies the structural implications of constant vorticity for steady three-dimensional internal water waves. It is known that in many physical regimes, water waves beneath vacuum that have constant vorticity are necessarily two dimensional. The situation is more subtle for internal waves that traveling along the interface between two immiscible fluids. When the layers have the same density, there is a large class of explicit steady waves with constant vorticity that are three-dimensional in that the velocity field and pressure depend on one horizontal variable while the interface is an arbitrary function of the other. We prove the following rigidity result: every three-dimensional traveling internal wave with bounded velocity for which the vorticities in the upper and lower layers are nonzero, constant, and parallel must belong to this family. If the densities in each layer are distinct, then in fact the flow is fully two dimensional.

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arXiv2021

Global bifurcation of solitary waves to the Boussinesq $abcd$ system

The Boussinesq $abcd$ system arises in the modeling of long wave small amplitude water waves in a channel, where the four parameters $(a,b,c,d)$ satisfy one constraint. In this paper we focus on the solitary wave solutions to such a system. In particular we work in two parameter regimes where the system does not admit a Hamiltonian structure (corresponding to $b \ne d$). We prove via analytic global bifurcation techniques the existence of solitary waves in such parameter regimes. Some qualitative properties of the solutions are also derived, from which sharp results can be obtained for the global solution curves. Specifically, we first construct solutions bifurcating from the stationary waves, and obtain a global continuous curve of solutions that exhibits a loss of ellipticity in the limit. The second family of solutions bifurcate from the classical Boussinesq supercritical waves. We show that the curve associated to the second class either undergoes a loss of ellipticity in the limit or becomes arbitrarily close to having a stagnation point.

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arXiv2021

Transverse instability of the CH-KP-I equation

The Camassa-Holm-Kadomtsev-Petviashvili-I equation (CH-KP-I) is a two dimensional generalization of the Camassa-Holm equation (CH). In this paper, we prove transverse instability of the line solitary waves under periodic transverse perturbations. The proof is based on the framework of the paper written by Rousset and Tzvetkov. Due to the high nonlinearity, our proof requires necessary modification. Specifically, we first establish the linear instability of the line solitary waves. Then through an approximation procedure, we prove that the linear effect actually dominates the nonlinear behavior.

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arXiv2021

Global ill-posedness for a dense set of initial data to the Isentropic system of gas dynamics

In dimension $n=2$ and $3$, we show that for any initial datum belonging to a dense subset of the energy space, there exist infinitely many global-in-time admissible weak solutions to the isentropic Euler system whenever $1<γ\leq 1+\frac2n$. This result can be regarded as a compressible counterpart of the one obtained by Szekelyhidi--Wiedemann (ARMA, 2012) for incompressible flows. Similarly to the incompressible result, the admissibility condition is defined in its integral form. Our result is based on a generalization of a key step of the convex integration procedure. This generalization allows, even in the compressible case, to convex integrate any smooth positive Reynolds stress. A large family of subsolutions can then be considered. These subsolutions can be generated, for instance, via regularization of any weak inviscid limit of an associated compressible Navier--Stokes system with degenerate viscosities.

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arXiv2021

Orbital stability of internal waves

This paper studies the nonlinear stability of capillary-gravity waves propagating along the interface dividing two immiscible fluid layers of finite depth. The motion in both regions is governed by the incompressible and irrotational Euler equations, with the density of each fluid being constant but distinct. A diverse collection of small-amplitude solitary wave solutions for this system have been constructed by several authors in the case of strong surface tension (as measured by the Bond number) and slightly subcritical Froude number. We prove that all of these waves are (conditionally) orbitally stable in the natural energy space. Moreover, the trivial solution is shown to be conditionally stable when the Bond and Froude numbers lie in a certain unbounded parameter region. For the near critical surface tension regime, we prove that one can infer conditional orbital stability or orbital instability of small-amplitude traveling waves solutions to the full Euler system from considerations of a dispersive PDE model equation. These results are obtained by reformulating the problem as an infinite-dimensional Hamiltonian system, then applying a version of the Grillakis--Shatah--Strauss method recently introduced by Varholm, Wahlén, and Walsh. A key part of the analysis consists of computing the spectrum of the linearized augmented Hamiltonian at a shear flow or small-amplitude wave. For this, we generalize an idea used by Mielke to treat capillary-gravity water waves beneath vacuum.

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arXiv2020

Global bifurcation of anti-plane shear fronts

We consider anti-plane shear deformations of an incompressible elastic solid whose reference configuration is an infinite cylinder with a cross section that is unbounded in one direction. For a class of generalized neo-Hookean strain energy densities and live body forces, we construct unbounded curves of front-type solutions using global bifurcation theory. Some of these curves contain solutions with deformations of arbitrarily large magnitude.

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