Self-similar solutions and large time asymptotics for the dissipative quasi-geostrophic equation (Q996713)

The well-posedness of the initial value problem for the dissipative quasi-geostrophic equations in the subcritical case is analyzed: \[ \begin{cases} \frac{\partial Q}{\partial t}+u\nabla\theta+k(-\Delta)^\gamma =0, & x\in \mathbb R^2,\;t>0,\\ \theta (x,0)=\theta_0(x), & x\in \mathbb R^2, \end{cases}\tag{1} \] with \(k>0\) and \(\gamma\in[0,1]\). The velocity field \(u= (u_1,u_2)\) is divergence free, \(\nabla\cdot u=0\), and determined from the potential temperature \(\theta\) through the stream function \(\psi=(-\Delta)^{-\tfrac 12\theta}\) by \[ u_j=(-R_2\theta,R_1\theta)=(-\partial_2\psi,\partial_1\psi). \] This operator is denoted by \(R[\theta]= u\). The Riesz potential operator \((-\Delta)^\gamma\) is defined as usual through the Fourier transform as \[ ((-\Delta)^\gamma\widehat f)(\xi)= |\xi|^{2\gamma}\widehat f (\xi), \] with \[ \widehat f(\xi)=\int_{\mathbb R^n}e^{-ix\varepsilon}f(x) \,dx. \] The results in the paper are essentially dimension independent that is why the initial value problem for \(n\)-dimensional generalizations of (1) is under consideration. Here, the velocity field is determined from the temperature \(\theta\) by linear combinations of Riesz transforms, i.e., \[ u_j=\sum^n_{i=1}a_{ij}R_i\theta,\quad 1\leq j\leq n, \] where \(R_i=\partial_i(-\Delta)^{-\tfrac 12}\). The whole operator is denoted by \(R[\theta]=u\). It must be noted that suitable choices of \(a_{ij}\) assure that the velocity field is divergence free, \(\nabla\cdot u=0\), which is assumed throughout the paper. The only physical case of interest is \(n=2\). Mild solutions of the problem are obtained in several spaces with the right homogeneity to allow the existence of self-similar solutions. While the only small self-similar solution in the strong \({\mathfrak I}^p\) space is the zero solution, infinitely many self-similar solutions do exist in weak-\({\mathfrak I}^p\) spaces and in a recently introduced space of tempered distributions \textit{M. Cannone} and \textit{G. Karch} [J. Differ. Equations 197, No. 2, 247--274 (2004; Zbl 1042.35043)]. The asymptotic stability of solutions is obtained in both spaces, and as a consequence, a criterion of self-similarity persistence at large times is obtained.