Instability of the magnetohydrodynamics system at vanishing Reynolds number (Q390329)

The stability of solenoidal solutions \((u,b)\) of the dimensionless MHD system: \[ \begin{cases}\partial_t u+(u\cdot\nabla)u+\nabla p-\Delta u=(\nabla\wedge b)\wedge b +f,\\ \partial_t b-\nabla \wedge(u\wedge b)-\varepsilon ^{-1}\Delta b=0,\end{cases} \] where \(\varepsilon<<1\) stands for the magnetic Reynolds number, is analysed. More precisely, the author deals with the instability of solutions of the form \((u,0)\) in the sense that the solution reaches high values in finite time no matter how small the initial condition is. Firstly, an exponentially growing solution of the linearized induction equation is determined. The proof is based on scale separation: the fields are decomposed into two parts, a fluctuating one evolving on small lengths, and a mean one evolving on much bigger ones.