Solutions to a class of forced drift-diffusion equations with applications to the magneto-geostrophic equations

Abstract

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.