Global in Time Vortex Configurations for the $2$D Euler Equations

Abstract

We consider the problem of finding a solution to the incompressible Euler equations $$ \omega_t + v\cdot \nabla \omega = 0 \quad \hbox{ in } \mathbb{R}^2 \times (0,\infty), \quad v(x,t) = \frac 1{2\pi} \int_{{\mathbb R}^2} \frac {(y-x)^\perp}{|y-x|^2} \omega (y,t)\, dy $$ that is close to a superposition of traveling vortices as $t\to \infty$. We employ a constructive approach by gluing classical traveling waves: two vortex-antivortex pairs traveling at main order with constant speed in opposite directions. More precisely, we find an initial condition that leads to a 4-vortex solution of the form $$ \omega (x,t) = \omega_0(x-ct\, e ) - \omega_0 ( x+ ct \, e) + o(1) \ \hbox{ as } t\to\infty $$ where $$ \omega_0( x ) = \frac 1{\varepsilon^{2}} W \left ( \frac {x-q} \varepsilon \right ) - \frac 1{\varepsilon^{2}}W \left ( \frac {x+q} \varepsilon \right ) + o(1) \ \hbox{ as } \varepsilon \to 0 $$ and $W(y)$ is a certain fixed smooth profile, radially symmetric, positive in the unit disc zero outside.