Renormalization-group derivation of Navier-Stokes equation

DOI10.1007/BF01010426MaRDI QIDQ580087zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors P. B. Visscher

Publication date 1985

Published in Journal of Statistical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01010426

zbMATH Keywords

Brillouin lineconservation of momentumeigenvaluesEuler equationNavier-Stokes equationrenormalization-grouprotational symmetryscale-coarsening transformationspace-coarsening transformations

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Navier-Stokes equations (35Q30) Foundations of fluid mechanics (76A02) Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible viscous fluids (76D05)

Review text

The Navier-Stokes equation is proved from first principles (rotational symmetry and conservation of momentum, mass, and energy) using renormalization-group ideas. That is, we consider a system described by one (classical) conserved vector field and two conserved scalar fields, and demonstrate that on a large scale it obeys the Navier-Stokes equation. No assumptions about the physical meanings of the fields are required; in particular, no results from thermodynamics are used. The result comes about because the Euler equation is an exact fixed point of an appropriate scale-coarsening transformation, and the coefficients of the eigenvectors of the transformation with the largest (``most relevant) eigenvalues include (in dimension \(d>2)\) the thermal conductivity and the bulk and shear viscosities, leading to Navier-Stokes behavior on a large scale. For \(d<2\), the largest eigenvalue corresponds to a convection term, and the Navier-Stokes equation is incorrect. Our method differs from previous renormalization approaches in using time-coarsening as well as space-coarsening transformations. This allows renormalization trajectories to be determined exactly, and allows the determination of the macroscopic behavior of specific microscopic models. The Navier- Stokes equation we obtain is almost, but not exactly, the same as the conventional one; distinguishing between them experimentally would require measurement of the very small asymmetry of the Brillouin line in a simple fluid.

Recommendations

• Renormalization group method. Application to Navier-Stokes equation
• Application of the renormalization-group method to the reduction of transport equations
• The renormalization group method in statistical hydrodynamics
• Euler and Navier-Stokes equations as self-consistent fields
• RENORMALIZATION-GROUP APPROACH TO THE STOCHASTIC NAVIER–STOKES EQUATION: TWO-LOOP APPROXIMATION

Cites work

• Foundations of Statistical Mechanics

Cited in

(3)

• Renormalization group solution of two-phase flow equations for Rayleigh-Taylor mixing
• Asymptotic solution of the Enskog equation
• A generalized Navier-Stokes equation near the liquid-glass transition

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