Unstable eigenvalues associated with inviscid fluid flows (Q5928433)

The authors construct the first example of an inviscid flow -- generalized Kolmogorov flow with periodic cellular structure -- which is different from a shear flow, and for which the stability spectrum contains both discrete unstable values and an unstable essential part. The method of averaging is used to construct a formal asymptotic expansion for eigenfunctions as well as to prove the existence of desired unstable eigenvalues. Although for general Euler flows it is not known whether the linear stability implies nonlinear stability, the authors show that in the constructed example it is true.