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Michele Coti Zelati

Publications and source records attributed to Michele Coti Zelati.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2023

Suppression of lift-up effect in the 3D Boussinesq equations around a stably stratified Couette flow

In this paper, we establish linear enhanced dissipation results for the three-dimensional Boussinesq equations around a stably stratified Couette flow, in the viscous and thermally diffusive setting. The dissipation rates are faster compared to those observed in the homogeneous Navier-Stokes equations, in light of the interplay between velocity and temperature, driven by buoyant forces. Our approach involves introducing a change of variables grounded in a Fourier space symmetrization framework. This change elucidates the energy structure inherent in the system. Specifically, we handle non-streaks modes through an augmented energy functional, while streaks modes are amenable to explicit solutions. This explicit treatment reveals the oscillatory nature of shear modes, providing the elimination of the well-known three-dimensional instability mechanism known as the ``lift-up effect''.

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arXiv2023

Diffusion enhancement and Taylor dispersion for rotationally symmetric flows in discs and pipes

In this note, we study the long-time dynamics of passive scalars driven by rotationally symmetric flows. We focus on identifying precise conditions on the velocity field in order to prove enhanced dissipation and Taylor dispersion in three-dimensional infinite pipes. As a byproduct of our analysis, we obtain an enhanced decay for circular flows on a disc of arbitrary radius.

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arXiv2023

Enhanced dissipation and Taylor dispersion in higher-dimensional parallel shear flows

We consider the evolution of a passive scalar advected by a parallel shear flow in an infinite cylinder with bounded cross section, in arbitrary space dimension. The essential parameters of the problem are the molecular diffusivity $ν$, which is assumed to be small, and the wave number $k$ in the streamwise direction, which can take arbitrary values. Under generic assumptions on the shear velocity $v$, we obtain optimal decay estimates for large times, both in the enhanced dissipation regime $ν\ll |k|$ and in the Taylor dispersion regime $|k| \ll ν$. Our results can be deduced from resolvent estimates using a quantitative version of the Gearhart-Prüss theorem, or can be established more directly via the hypocoercivity method. Both approaches are explored in the present example, and their relative efficiency is compared.

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arXiv2022

Enhanced dissipation for two-dimensional Hamiltonian flows

Let $H\in C^1\cap W^{2,p}$ be an autonomous, non-constant Hamiltonian on a compact $2$-dimensional manifold, generating an incompressible velocity field $b=\nabla^\perp H$. We give sharp upper bounds on the enhanced dissipation rate of $b$ in terms of the properties of the period $T(h)$ of the close orbits $\{H=h\}$. Specifically, if $0<ν\ll 1$ is the diffusion coefficient, the enhanced dissipation rate can be at most $O(ν^{1/3})$ in general, the bound improves when $H$ has isolated, non-degenerate elliptic point. Our result provides the better bound $O(ν^{1/2})$ for the standard cellular flow given by $H_\mathsf{c}(x)=\sin x_1 \sin x_2$, for which we can also prove a new upper bound on its mixing mixing rate and a lower bound on its enhanced dissipation rate. The proofs are based on the use of action-angle coordinates and on the existence of a good invariant domain for the regular Lagrangian flow generated by $b$.

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arXiv2022

Taylor dispersion and phase mixing in the non-cutoff Boltzmann equation on the whole space

In this paper, we describe the long-time behavior of the non-cutoff Boltzmann equation with soft potentials near a global Maxwellian background on the whole space in the weakly collisional limit (i.e. infinite Knudsen number $1/ν\to \infty$). Specifically, we prove that for initial data sufficiently small (independent of the Knudsen number), the solution displays several dynamics caused by the phase mixing/dispersive effects of the transport operator $v \cdot \nabla_x$ and its interplay with the singular collision operator. For $x$-wavenumbers $k$ with $|k|\ggν$, one sees an enhanced dissipation effect wherein the characteristic decay time-scale is accelerated to $O(1/ν^{\frac{1}{1+2s}} |k|^{\frac{2s}{1+2s}})$, where $s \in (0,1]$ is the singularity of the kernel ($s=1$ being the Landau collision operator, which is also included in our analysis); for $|k|\ll ν$, one sees Taylor dispersion, wherein the decay is accelerated to $O(ν/|k|^2)$. Additionally, we prove almost-uniform phase mixing estimates. For macroscopic quantities as the density $ρ$, these bounds imply almost-uniform-in-$ν$ decay of $(t\nabla_x)^βρ$ in $L^\infty_x$ due to Landau damping and dispersive decay.

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arXiv2022

Exponential mixing for random dynamical systems and an example of Pierrehumbert

We consider the question of exponential mixing for random dynamical systems on arbitrary compact manifolds without boundary. We put forward a robust, dynamics-based framework that allows us to construct space-time smooth, uniformly bounded in time, universal exponential mixers. The framework is then applied to the problem of proving exponential mixing in a classical example proposed by Pierrehumbert in 1994, consisting of alternating periodic shear flows with randomized phases. This settles a longstanding open problem on proving the existence of a space-time smooth (universal) exponentially mixing incompressible velocity field on a two-dimensional periodic domain while also providing a toolbox for constructing such smooth universal mixers in all dimensions.

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arXiv2021

Mixing and diffusion for rough shear flows

This article addresses mixing and diffusion properties of passive scalars advected by rough ($C^α$) shear flows. We show that in general, one cannot expect a rough shear flow to increase the rate of inviscid mixing to more than that of a smooth shear without critical points. On the other hand, diffusion may be enhanced at a much faster rate. This shows that in the setting of low regularity, the interplay between inviscid mixing properties and enhanced dissipation is more intricate, and in fact contradicts some of the natural heuristics that are valid in the smooth setting.

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arXiv2021

Global Existence for the Two-dimensional Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation with a Shear Flow

We consider the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation (KSE) on the two-dimensional torus in the presence of advection by a given background shear flow. Under the assumption that the shear has a finite number of critical points and there are linearly growing modes only in the direction of the shear, we prove global existence of solutions with data in $L^2$, using a bootstrap argument. The initial data can be taken arbitrarily large.

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arXiv2021

Nonlinear inviscid damping and shear-buoyancy instability in the two-dimensional Boussinesq equations

We investigate the long-time properties of the two-dimensional inviscid Boussinesq equations near a stably stratified Couette flow, for an initial Gevrey perturbation of size $\varepsilon$. Under the classical Miles-Howard stability condition on the Richardson number, we prove that the system experiences a shear-buoyancy instability: the density variation and velocity undergo an $O(t^{-1/2})$ inviscid damping while the vorticity and density gradient grow as $O(t^{1/2})$. The result holds at least until the natural, nonlinear timescale $t \approx \varepsilon^{-2}$. Notice that the density behaves very differently from a passive scalar, as can be seen from the inviscid damping and slower gradient growth. The proof relies on several ingredients: (A) a suitable symmetrization that makes the linear terms amenable to energy methods and takes into account the classical Miles-Howard spectral stability condition; (B) a variation of the Fourier time-dependent energy method introduced for the inviscid, homogeneous Couette flow problem developed on a toy model adapted to the Boussinesq equations, i.e. tracking the potential nonlinear echo chains in the symmetrized variables despite the vorticity growth.

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arXiv2021

Linear inviscid damping for shear flows near Couette in the 2D stably stratified regime

We investigate the linear stability of shears near the Couette flow for a class of 2D incompressible stably stratified fluids. Our main result consists of nearly optimal decay rates for perturbations of stationary states whose velocities are monotone shear flows $(U(y),0)$ and have an exponential density profile. In the case of the Couette flow $U(y)=y$, we recover the rates predicted by Hartman in 1975, by adopting an explicit point-wise approach in frequency space. As a by-product, this implies optimal decay rates as well as Lyapunov instability in $L^2$ for the vorticity. For the previously unexplored case of more general shear flows close to Couette, the inviscid damping results follow by a weighted energy estimate. Each outcome concerning the stably stratified regime applies to the Boussinesq equations as well. Remarkably, our results hold under the celebrated Miles-Howard criterion for stratified fluids.

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arXiv2020

Homogenization and hypocoercivity for Fokker-Planck equations driven by weakly compressible shear flows

We study the long-time dynamics of two-dimensional linear Fokker-Planck equations driven by a drift that can be decomposed in the sum of a large shear component and the gradient of a regular potential depending on one spatial variable. The problem can be interpreted as that of a passive scalar advected by a slightly compressible shear flow, and undergoing small diffusion. For the corresponding stochastic differential equation, we give explicit homogenization rates in terms of a family of time-scales depending on the parameter measuring the strength of the incompressible perturbation. This is achieved by exploiting an auxiliary Poisson problem, and by computing the related effective diffusion coefficients. Regarding the long-time behaviour of the solution of the Fokker-Planck equation, we provide explicit decay rates to the unique invariant measure by employing a quantitative version of the classical hypocoercivity scheme. From a fluid mechanics perspective, this turns out to be equivalent to quantifying the phenomenon of enhanced diffusion for slightly compressible shear flows.

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arXiv2020

Stationary Structures near the Kolmogorov and Poiseuille Flows in the 2d Euler Equations

We study the behavior of solutions to the incompressible $2d$ Euler equations near two canonical shear flows with critical points, the Kolmogorov and Poiseuille flows, with consequences for the associated Navier-Stokes problems. We exhibit a large family of new, non-trivial stationary states of analytic regularity, that are arbitrarily close to the Kolmogorov flow on the square torus $\mathbb{T}^2$. This situation contrasts strongly with the setting of some monotone shear flows, such as the Couette flow: in both cases the linearized problem exhibits an "inviscid damping" mechanism that leads to relaxation of perturbations of the base flows back to nearby shear flows. While this effect persists nonlinearly for suitably small and regular perturbations of some monotone shear flows, for the Kolmogorov flow our result shows that this is not possible. Our construction of these stationary states builds on a degeneracy in the global structure of the Kolmogorov flow on $\mathbb{T}^2$. In this regard both the Kolmogorov flow on a rectangular torus and the Poiseuille flow in a channel are very different, and we show that the only stationary states near them must indeed be shears, even in relatively low regularity $H^3$ resp. $H^{5+}$. In addition, we show that this behavior is mirrored closely in the related Navier-Stokes settings: the linearized problems near the Poiseuille and Kolmogorov flows both exhibit an enhanced rate of dissipation. Previous work by us and others shows that this effect survives in the full, nonlinear problem near the Poiseuille flow and near the Kolmogorov flow on rectangular tori, provided that the perturbations lie below a certain threshold. However, we show here that the corresponding result cannot hold near the Kolmogorov flow on $\mathbb{T}^2$.

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arXiv2019

A stochastic approach to enhanced diffusion

We provide examples of initial data which saturate the enhanced diffusion rates proved for general shear flows which are Hölder regular or Lipschitz continuous with critical points, and for regular circular flows, establishing the sharpness of those results. Our proof makes use of a probabilistic interpretation of the dissipation of solutions to the advection diffusion equation.

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arXiv2019

Stable mixing estimates in the infinite Péclet number limit

We consider a passive scalar $f$ advected by a strictly monotone shear flow and with a diffusivity parameter $ν\ll 1$. We prove an estimate on the homogeneous $\dot{H}^{-1}$ norm of $f$ that combines both the $L^2$ enhanced diffusion effect at a sharp rate proportional to $ν^{1/3}$, and the sharp mixing decay proportional to $t^{-1}$ of the $\dot{H}^{-1}$ norm of $f$ when $ν=0$. In particular, the estimate is stable in the infinite Péclet number limit, as $ν\to 0$. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result of this kind since the work of Kelvin in 1887 on the Couette flow. The two key ingredients in the proof are an adaptation of the hypocoercivity method and the use of a vector field $J$ that commutes with the transport part of the equation. The $L^2$ norm of $Jf$ together with the $L^2$ norm of $f$ produces a suitable upper bound for the $\dot{H}^{-1}$ norm of the solution that gives the extra decay factor of $t^{-1}$.

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arXiv2019

Separation of time-scales in drift-diffusion equations on $\mathbb{R}^2$

We deal with the problem of separation of time-scales and filamentation in a linear drift-diffusion problem posed on the whole space $\mathbb{R}^2$. The passive scalar considered is stirred by an incompressible flow with radial symmetry. We identify a time-scale, much faster than the diffusive one, at which mixing happens along the streamlines, as a result of the interaction between transport and diffusion. This effect is also known as enhanced dissipation. For power-law circular flows, this time-scale only depends on the behavior of the flow at the origin. The proofs are based on an adaptation of a hypocoercivity scheme and yield a linear semigroup estimate in a suitable weighted $L^2$-based space.

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arXiv2019

Sufficient conditions for dual cascade flux laws in the stochastic 2d Navier-Stokes equations

We provide sufficient conditions for mathematically rigorous proofs of the third order universal laws capturing the energy flux to large scales and enstrophy flux to small scales for statistically stationary, forced-dissipated 2d Navier-Stokes equations in the large-box limit. These laws should be regarded as 2d turbulence analogues of the $4/5$ law in 3d turbulence, predicting a constant flux of energy and enstrophy (respectively) through the two inertial ranges in the dual cascade of 2d turbulence. Conditions implying only one of the two cascades are also obtained, as well as compactness criteria which show that the provided sufficient conditions are not far from being necessary. The specific goal of the work is to provide the weakest characterizations of the '0-th laws' of 2d turbulence in order to make mathematically rigorous predictions consistent with experimental evidence.

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arXiv2019

Enhanced dissipation in the Navier-Stokes equations near the Poiseuille flow

We consider solutions to the 2d Navier-Stokes equations on $\mathbb{T}\times\mathbb{R}$ close to the Poiseuille flow, with small viscosity $ν>0$. Our first result concerns a semigroup estimate for the linearized problem. Here we show that the $x$-dependent modes of linear solutions decay on a time-scale proportional to $ν^{-1/2}|\logν|$. This effect is often referred to as \emph{enhanced dissipation} or \emph{metastability} since it gives a much faster decay than the regular dissipative time-scale $ν^{-1}$ (this is also the time-scale on which the $x$-independent mode naturally decays). We achieve this using an adaptation of the method of hypocoercivity. Our second result concerns the full nonlinear equations. We show that when the perturbation from the Poiseuille flow is initially of size at most $ν^{3/4+}$, then it remains so for all time. Moreover, the enhanced dissipation also persists in this scenario, so that the $x$-dependent modes of the solution are dissipated on a time scale of order $ν^{-1/2}|\logν|$. This transition threshold is established by a bootstrap argument using the semigroup estimate and a careful analysis of the nonlinear term in order to deal with the unboundedness of the domain and the Poiseuille flow itself.

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