On the energy of critical solutions of the binormal flow

Abstract

The binormal flow is a model for the dynamics of a vortex filament in a 3-D inviscid incompressible fluid. The flow is also related with the classical continuous Heisenberg model in ferromagnetism, and the 1-D cubic Schr\"odinger equation. We consider a class of solutions at the critical level of regularity that generate singularities in finite time. One of our main results is to prove the existence of a natural energy associated to these solutions. This energy remains constant except at the time of the formation of the singularity when it has a jump discontinuity. When interpreting this conservation law in the framework of fluid mechanics, it involves the amplitude of the Fourier modes of the variation of the direction of the vorticity.