An asymptotic limit of a Navier-Stokes system with capillary effects

Abstract

A combined incompressible and vanishing capillarity limit in the barotropic compressible Navier-Stokes equations for smooth solutions is proved. The equations are considered on the two-dimensional torus with well prepared initial data. The momentum equation contains a rotational term originating from a Coriolis force, a general Korteweg-type tensor modeling capillary effects, and a density-dependent viscosity. The limiting model is the viscous quasi-geostrophic equation for the "rotated" velocity potential. The proof of the singular limit is based on the modulated energy method with a careful choice of the correction terms.