Generalized fluid flows, their approximation and applications (Q1342770)

A fluid flow is considered as a path \(t \mapsto \xi_t\) in the group \(\mathcal D\) of volume preserving diffeomorphisms on some domain \(G \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n\). The arclength of such a path is given by \(L(\xi_t)^{t_1}_{t_0}:=\int^{t_1}_{t_0}\left(\int_G \left|{\partial i_t (x) \over \partial t}\right|^2 dx \right)^{1/2} dt\). For dimension \(n \geq 3\), not every \(\xi \in {\mathcal D}\) may be connected with the identity by a path of minimal length. To overcome this difficulty, \textit{Y. Brenier} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 2, 225-255 (1989; Zbl 0697.76030)] introduced the measure-theoretic concept of generalized flow and showed that such flows with minimal action among the incompressible ones always exist. The main theorem of this paper, which builds upon \textit{A. I. Shnirelman} [Math. USSR, Sb. 56, No. 1, 79-105 (1987); translation from Mat. Sb., Nov. Ser. 128(170), No. 1, 82-109 (1985; Zbl 0725.58005)], is an approximation result saying that in dimension \(n \geq 3\) for every incompressible generalized flow there is a sequence of smooth flows with the same endpoints, and that their associated measures and actions approximate those of the generalized flow. In the second part, several applications are given; among them, estimates for the diameter of \(\mathcal D\), Hölder estimates for the metric on \(\mathcal D\), the failing of the approximation result for dimension 2, the non-existence of minimal flows on a cube, and the existence of conjugate points on geodesics in \(\mathcal D\).