Invariant manifolds and their zero-viscosity limits for Navier-Stokes equations (Q2505140)

This article contains two main results. First, a spectral theorem for the linearized Navier-Stokes operator in 2D and 3D is given. It is shown that the spectrum of the operator is made up of eigenvalues in a parabolic region and that the associated (generalized) eigenfunctions form a complete basis in Sobolev Hilbert space. Then an existence theorem for invariant manifolds (stable manifold etc.) and their asymptotic ``behavior'' in the limit of vanishing viscosity is proved. The size of the unstable manifold and the center-stable manifold of a steady state is shown to behave like the square root of the viscosity, while the size of the stable manifold, the center manifold, and the center-unstable manifold is proportional to the viscosity. Several concrete examples are discussed to characterize spectra and invariant manifolds for specific stationary states.