Global uniform regularity for the 3D incompressible MHD equations with slip boundary condition near a background magnetic field

Abstract

This paper resolves the global regularity problem for the three-dimensional incompressible magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations in the upper half-space with slip boundary conditions, in the presence of a background magnetic field. Motivated by geophysical applications, we consider an anisotropic MHD system with weak dissipation in the $x_2$ and $x_3$ directions and small vertical magnetic diffusion. By exploiting the stabilizing effect induced by the background magnetic field and constructing a hierarchy of four energy functionals, we establish global-in-time uniform bounds that are independent of the viscosity in the $x_2$ and $x_3$ directions and the vertical resistivity. A key innovation in our analysis is the development of a two-tier energy method, which couples the boundedness of conormal derivatives with the decay of tangential derivatives. These global conormal regularity estimates, together with sharp decay rates, enable us to rigorously justify the vanishing dissipation limit and derive explicit long-time convergence rates to the MHD system with vanishing dissipation in the $x_2$ and $x_3$ directions and no vertical magnetic diffusion. In the absence of a magnetic field, the global-in-time vanishing viscosity limit for the 3D incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with anisotropic dissipation remains a challenging open problem. This work reveals the mechanism by which the magnetic field enhances dissipation and stabilizes the fluid dynamics in the vanishing viscosity limit.