The Reynolds number and large time behaviour for weak solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations (Q1261815)

The author considers the Navier-Stokes equations in a smooth exterior domain \(\Omega\), i.e. \[ v_ t-\Delta v+(v \cdot \nabla) v+\nabla p=f \text{ in } \Omega \times(0,\infty), \] \[ \text{div} v=0 \text{ in } \Omega \times (0,\infty),\quad v(x,t)=0 \text{ on } \partial \Omega \times (0,\infty) \tag{*} \] \[ v(x,t) \to v_ \infty, | x | \to \infty, t>0,\;v(x,0)=v_ 0(x),\;x \in \Omega. \] Let \((v^{(0)},p^{(0)})\) be a stationary PR-solution of \((*)\) in the sense of Finn with energetic Reynolds number \(\text{Re}_ E=1\) (which is the critical case). If \((u,\pi)\) denotes a time dependent perturbation of \((v^{(0)},p^{(0)})\) the author proves that there exists a time \(t_ 0\) so that \(\| \nabla u(t) \|_{L^ 2}\) is uniformly bounded for \(t \geq t_ 0\) provided \(u_ 0=v_ 0-v^{(0)}\) and \(f\) are sufficiently small. As a consequence, \(u\) becomes smooth after finite time.