Global regularity and infinite Prandtl-number limit for 2D Boussinesq temperature patches in $W^{k,\infty}$ and $C^{k,γ}$: lower-order case

Abstract

We study global regularity and the infinite Prandtl number limit for temperature patches of the two-dimensional nondiffusive Boussinesq system on $\mathbb R^2$, with velocity dissipation $Λ^{2α}$, $\frac12<α\leq1$. We establish global well-posedness for $θ_0\in L^1\cap L^\infty$ and divergence-free $u_0\in W^{1,p}$, $2\leq p<\infty$. Under suitable profile and striated regularity assumptions, we prove global persistence of $C^{1,γ}$ and $C^{2,γ}$ patch boundaries for every $0<γ\leq1$, allowing nonconstant profiles and including the Lipschitz endpoints $W^{2,\infty}$ and $W^{3,\infty}$. The velocity gradient and boundary regularity estimates are uniform in $\mathrm{Pr}\in[1,\infty)$ on each finite time interval. Uniform global $L^r$ velocity bounds hold for suitable finite $r$ when $α<1$, and at $α=1$ for zero-mean initial temperatures with finite first absolute moment. Such bounds fail at $α=1$ for compactly supported nonzero-mean data. For temperature patches, we justify the infinite Prandtl number limit in the original frame when $α<1$ or the initial temperature has zero mean, and in a moving frame otherwise. The limit is the unique normalized global weak solution of the (fractional) Stokes-transport system and, importantly, preserves the patch structure and boundary regularity.