Volume-preserving Flow Research Articles

Volume-preserving nonhomogeneous mean curvature flow of convex hypersurfaces

We consider a convex Euclidean hypersurface that evolves by a volume- or area-preserving flow with speed given by a general nonhomogeneous function of the mean curvature. For a broad class of possible speed functions, we show that any closed convex hypersurface converges to a round sphere. The proof is based on the monotonicity of the isoperimetric ratio, which allows to control the inner radius and outer radius of the hypersurface and to deduce uniform bounds on the curvature by maximum principle arguments.

Volume preserving flow by powers of symmetric polynomials in the principal curvatures

We study a volume preserving curvature flow of convex hypersurfaces, driven by a power of the k-th elementary symmetric polynomial in the principal curvatures. Unlike most of the previous works on related problems, we do not require assumptions on the curvature pinching of the initial datum. We prove that the solution exists for all times and that the speed remains bounded and converges to a constant in an integral norm. In the case of the volume preserving scalar curvature flow, we can prove that the hypersurfaces converge smoothly to a round sphere.

Uniformly quasiconformal partially hyperbolic systems

We study smooth volume-preserving perturbations of the time-1 map of the geodesic flow $\psi_{t}$ of a closed Riemannian manifold of dimension at least three with constant negative curvature. We show that such a perturbation has equal extremal Lyapunov exponents with respect to volume within both the stable and unstable bundles if and only if it embeds as the time-1 map of a smooth volume-preserving flow that is smoothly orbit equivalent to $\psi_{t}$. Our techniques apply more generally to give an essentially complete classification of smooth, volume-preserving, dynamically coherent partially hyperbolic diffeomorphisms which satisfy a uniform quasiconformality condition on their stable and unstable bundles and have either compact center foliation with trivial holonomy or are obtained as perturbations of the time-1 map of an Anosov flow.

Convergence of thresholding schemes incorporating bulk effects

In this paper we establish the convergence of three computational algorithms for interface motion in a multi-phase system, which incorporate bulk effects. The algorithms considered fall under the classification of thresholding schemes, in the spirit of the celebrated Merriman–Bence–Osher algorithm for producing an interface moving by mean curvature. The schemes considered here all incorporate either a local force coming from an energy in the bulk, or a non-local force coming from a volume constraint. We first establish the convergence of a scheme proposed by Ruuth-Wetton for approximating volume-preserving mean-curvature flow. Next we study a scheme for the geometric flow generated by surface tension plus bulk energy. Here the limit is motion by mean curvature (MMC) plus forcing term. Last we consider a thresholding scheme for simulating grain growth in a polycrystal surrounded by air, which incorporates boundary effects on the solid-vapor interface. The limiting flow is MMC on the inner grain boundaries, and volume-preserving MMC on the solid-vapor interface.

Global solutions to the volume-preserving mean-curvature flow

In this paper, we construct global distributional solutions to the volume-preserving mean-curvature flow using a variant of the time-discrete gradient flow approach proposed independently by Almgren et al. (SIAM J Control Optim 31(2):387–438, 1993) and Luckhaus and Sturzenhecker (Calc Var Partial Differ Equ 3(2):253–271, 1995).

Lagrangian Transport Through Surfaces in Volume-Preserving Flows

Advective transport of scalar quantities through surfaces is of fundamental importance in many scientific applications. From the Eulerian perspective of the surface it can be quantified by the well-known integral of the flux density. The recent development of highly accurate semi-Lagrangian methods for solving scalar conservation laws and of Lagrangian approaches to coherent structures in turbulent (geophysical) fluid flows necessitate a new approach to transport from the (Lagrangian) material perspective. We present a Lagrangian framework for calculating transport of conserved quantities through a given surface in $n$-dimensional, fully aperiodic, volume-preserving flows. Our approach does not involve any dynamical assumptions on the surface or its boundary.

A stabilized, symmetric Nitsche method for spatially localized plasticity

A heterogeneous interface method is developed for combining primal displacement and mixed displacement-pressure formulations across nonconforming finite element meshes to treat volume-preserving plastic flow. When the zone of inelastic response is localized within a larger domain, significant computational savings can be achieved by confining the mixed formulation solely to the localized region. The method's distinguishing feature is that the coupling terms for joining dissimilar element types are derived from a time-discrete free energy functional, which is based on a Lagrange multiplier formulation of the interface constraints. Incorporating residual-based stabilizing terms at the interface enables the condensation of the multiplier field, leading to a symmetric Nitsche formulation in which the interface operators respect the differing character of the governing equations in each region. In a series of numerical problems, the heterogeneous interface method achieved comparable results on coarser meshes as those obtained from applying the mixed formulation throughout the domain.

Evolution and monotonicity of the first eigenvalue of p-Laplacian under the Ricci-harmonic flow

Abstract We study the evolution and monotonicity of the eigenvalues of p-Laplace operator on an m-dimensional compact Riemannian manifold M whose metric g(t) evolves by the Ricci-harmonic flow. The first nonzero eigenvalue is proved to be monotonically nondecreasing along the flow and differentiable almost everywhere. As a corollary, we recover the corresponding results for the usual Laplace–Beltrami operator when p = 2. We also examine the evolution and monotonicity under volume preserving flow and it turns out that the first eigenvalue is not monotone in general.

Livšic measurable rigidity for 𝒞¹ generic volume-preserving Anosov systems

In this paper, we prove that for C 1 \mathcal {C}^1 generic volume-preserving Anosov diffeomorphisms of a compact connected Riemannian manifold, the Livšic measurable rigidity theorem holds. We also give a parallel result for C 1 \mathcal {C}^1 generic volume-preserving Anosov flows.

Recurrence-time statistics in non-Hamiltonian volume-preserving maps and flows.

We analyze the recurrence-time statistics (RTS) in three-dimensional non-Hamiltonian volume-preserving systems (VPS): an extended standard map and a fluid model. The extended map is a standard map weakly coupled to an extra dimension which contains a deterministic regular, mixed (regular and chaotic), or chaotic motion. The extra dimension strongly enhances the trapping times inducing plateaus and distinct algebraic and exponential decays in the RTS plots. The combined analysis of the RTS with the classification of ordered and chaotic regimes and scaling properties allows us to describe the intricate way trajectories penetrate the previously impenetrable regular islands from the uncoupled case. Essentially the plateaus found in the RTS are related to trajectories that stay for long times inside trapping tubes, not allowing recurrences, and then penetrate diffusively the islands (from the uncoupled case) by a diffusive motion along such tubes in the extra dimension. All asymptotic exponential decays for the RTS are related to an ordered regime (quasiregular motion), and a mixing dynamics is conjectured for the model. These results are compared to the RTS of the standard map with dissipation or noise, showing the peculiarities obtained by using three-dimensional VPS. We also analyze the RTS for a fluid model and show remarkable similarities to the RTS in the extended standard map problem.

Global cross sections for Anosov flows

We provide a new criterion for the existence of a global cross section to a volume-preserving Anosov flow. The criterion is expressed in terms of expansion and contraction rates of the flow and generalizes known results of this type.

Absolute continuity, Lyapunov exponents and rigidity I: geodesic flows

We consider volume-preserving perturbations of the time-one map of the geodesic flow of a compact surface with negative curvature. We show that if the Liouville measure has Lebesgue disintegration along the center foliation then the perturbation is itself the time-one map of a smooth volume-preserving flow, and that otherwise the disintegration is necessarily atomic.

Issues in measure-preserving three dimensional flow integrators: Self-adjointness, reversibility, and non-uniform time stepping

Properties of integration schemes for solenoidal fields in three dimensions are studied, with a focus on integrating magnetic field lines in a plasma using adaptive time stepping. It is shown that implicit midpoint (IM) and a scheme we call three-dimensional leapfrog (LF) can do a good job (in the sense of preserving KAM tori) of integrating fields that are reversible, or (for LF) have a “special divergence-free” (SDF) property. We review the notion of a self-adjoint scheme, showing that such schemes are at least second order accurate and can always be formed by composing an arbitrary scheme with its adjoint. We also review the concept of reversibility, showing that a reversible but not exactly volume-preserving scheme can lead to a fractal invariant measure in a chaotic region, although this property may not often be observable. We also show numerical results indicating that the IM and LF schemes can fail to preserve KAM tori when the reversibility property (and the SDF property for LF) of the field is broken. We discuss extensions to measure preserving flows, the integration of magnetic field lines in a plasma and the integration of rays for several plasma waves. The main new result of this paper relates to non-uniform time stepping for volume-preserving flows. We investigate two potential schemes, both based on the general method of Feng and Shang [Numer. Math. 71, 451 (1995)], in which the flow is integrated in split time steps, each Hamiltonian in two dimensions. The first scheme is an extension of the method of extended phase space, a well-proven method of symplectic integration with non-uniform time steps. This method is found not to work, and an explanation is given. The second method investigated is a method based on transformation to canonical variables for the two split-step Hamiltonian systems. This method, which is related to the method of non-canonical generating functions of Richardson and Finn [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 54, 014004 (2012)], appears to work very well.

Dynamics of impurities in a three-dimensional volume-preserving map.

We study the dynamics of inertial particles in three-dimensional incompressible maps, as representations of volume-preserving flows. The impurity dynamics has been modeled, in the Lagrangian framework, by a six-dimensional dissipative bailout embedding map. The fluid-parcel dynamics of the base map is embedded in the particle dynamics governed by the map. The base map considered for the present study is the Arnold-Beltrami-Childress (ABC) map. We consider the behavior of the system both in the aerosol regime, where the density of the particle is larger than that of the base flow, as well as the bubble regime, where the particle density is less than that of the base flow. The phase spaces in both the regimes show rich and complex dynamics with three types of dynamical behaviors--chaotic structures, regular orbits, and hyperchaotic regions. In the one-action case, the aerosol regime is found to have periodic attractors for certain values of the dissipation and inertia parameters. For the aerosol regime of the two-action ABC map, an attractor merging and widening crisis is identified using the bifurcation diagram and the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents. After the crisis an attractor with two parts is seen, and trajectories hop between these parts with period 2. The bubble regime of the embedded map shows strong hyperchaotic regions as well as crisis induced intermittency with characteristic times between bursts that scale as a power law behavior as a function of the dissipation parameter. Furthermore, we observe a riddled basin of attraction and unstable dimension variability in the phase space in the bubble regime. The bubble regime in the one-action case shows similar behavior. This study of a simple model of impurity dynamics may shed light upon the transport properties of passive scalars in three-dimensional flows. We also compare our results with those seen earlier in two-dimensional flows.

Quasiconformal Anosov flows and quasisymmetric rigidity of Hamenst$\ddot{a}$dt distances

This paper deals with interactions between metric quasiconformal geometry and the rigidity of Anosov flows. In the first part of this article, we study a canonical time change of Anosov flows. Then we use it to obtain the thorough classification of volume-preserving quasiconformal Anosov flows. Given a $C^\infty$ Anosov flow $\varphi$, it is well-known that along the leaves of its strong unstable foliation there are two natural distances: the Hamenst$\ddot {\rm a}$dt distance and the induced Riemannian distance. In general these two distances are H$\ddot{\rm o}$lder equivalent. We prove the following rigidity result about quasisymmetric equivalence: Let $\varphi: M\to M$ be a $C^\infty$ transversely symplectic Anosov flow with $C^1$ weak distributions. We suppose that ${\rm dim}M\geq 5$. &nbsp If over a leaf of the strong unstable foliation, the Hamenst$\ddot{\rm a}$dt distance is quasisymmetric equivalent to the Riemannian distance, then up to finite covers $\varphi$ is $C^\infty$ orbit equivalent either to the geodesic flow of a closed hyperbolic manifold, or to the suspension of an Anosov automorphism.

Chaotic advection in a steady, three-dimensional, Ekman-driven eddy

AbstractWe investigate and quantify stirring due to chaotic advection within a steady, three-dimensional, Ekman-driven, rotating cylinder flow. The flow field has vertical overturning and horizontal swirling motion, and is an idealization of motion observed in some ocean eddies. The flow is characterized by strong background rotation, and we explore variations in Ekman and Rossby numbers, $E$ and ${R}_{o} $, over ranges appropriate for the ocean mesoscale and submesoscale. A high-resolution spectral element model is used in conjunction with linear analytical theory, weakly nonlinear resonance analysis and a kinematic model in order to map out the barriers, manifolds, resonance layers and other objects that provide a template for chaotic stirring. As expected, chaos arises when a radially symmetric background state is perturbed by a symmetry-breaking disturbance. In the background state, each trajectory lives on a torus and some of the latter survive the perturbation and act as barriers to chaotic transport, a result consistent with an extension of the KAM theorem for three-dimensional, volume-preserving flow. For shallow eddies, where $E$ is $O(1)$, the flow is dominated by thin resonant layers sandwiched between KAM-type barriers, and the stirring rate is weak. On the other hand, eddies with moderately small $E$ experience thicker resonant layers, wider-spread chaos and much more rapid stirring. This trend reverses for sufficiently small $E$, corresponding to deep eddies, where the vertical rigidity imposed by strong rotation limits the stirring. The bulk stirring rate, estimated from a passive tracer release, confirms the non-monotonic variation in stirring rate with $E$. This result is shown to be consistent with linear Ekman layer theory in conjunction with a resonant width calculation and the Taylor–Proudman theorem. The theory is able to roughly predict the value of $E$ at which stirring is maximum. For large disturbances, the stirring rate becomes monotonic over the range of Ekman numbers explored. We also explore variation in the eddy aspect ratio.

Finite-Time Transport in Volume-Preserving Flows

Finite-time transport between distinct flow regions is of great relevance to many scientific applications, yet quantitative studies remain scarce to date. The primary obstacle is computing the evolution of material volumes, which is often infeasible due to extreme interfacial stretching. We present a framework for describing and computing finite-time transport in n-dimensional (chaotic) volume-preserving flows that relies on the reduced dynamics of an (n-2)-dimensional "minimal set" of fundamental trajectories. This approach has essential advantages over existing methods: the regions between which transport is investigated can be arbitrarily specified; no knowledge of the flow outside the finite transport interval is needed; and computational effort is substantially reduced. We demonstrate our framework in 2D for an industrial mixing device.

Contributions to the geometric and ergodic theory of conservative flows

AbstractWe prove the following dichotomy for vector fields in a $C^1$-residual subset of volume-preserving flows: for Lebesgue-almost every point, either all of its Lyapunov exponents are equal to zero or its orbit has a dominated splitting. Moreover, we prove that a volume-preserving and $C^1$-stably ergodic flow can be $C^1$-approximated by another volume-preserving flow which is non-uniformly hyperbolic.

Comparison of different homogenization approaches for elastic–viscoplastic materials

Homogenization of linear viscoelastic and non-linear viscoplastic composite materials is considered in this paper. First, we compare two homogenization schemes based on the Mori–Tanaka method coupled with the additive interaction (AI) law proposed by Molinari et al ( Mech. Mater. 26 43–62) or coupled with a concentration law based on translated fields (TF) originally proposed for the self-consistent scheme by Paquin et al ( Arch. Appl. Mech. 69 14–35). These methods are also evaluated against (i) full-field calculations of the literature based on the finite element method and on fast Fourier transform, (ii) available analytical exact solutions obtained in linear viscoelasticity and (iii) homogenization methods based on variational approaches. Developments of the AI model are obtained for linear and non-linear material responses while results for the TF method are shown for the linear case. Various configurations are considered: spherical inclusions, aligned fibers, hard and soft inclusions, large material contrasts between phases, volume-preserving versus dilatant anelastic flow, non-monotonic loading. The agreement between the AI and TF methods is excellent and the correlation with full field calculations is in general of quite good quality (with some exceptions for non-linear composites with a large volume fraction of very soft inclusions for which a discrepancy of about 15% was found for macroscopic stress). Description of the material behavior with internal variables can be accounted for with the AI and TF approaches and therefore complex loadings can be easily handled in contrast with most hereditary approaches.

Scalar decay in a three-dimensional chaotic flow

The decay of a passive scalar in a three-dimensional chaotic flow is studied using high-resolution numerical simulations. The (volume-preserving) flow considered is a three-dimensional extension of the randomized alternating sine flow employed extensively in studies of mixing in two dimensions. It is used to show that theoretical predictions for two-dimensional flows with small diffusivity carry over to three dimensions even though the stretching properties differ significantly. The variance decay rate, scalar field structure, and time evolution of statistical moments confirm that there are two distinct regimes of scalar decay: a locally controlled regime, which applies when the domain size is comparable to the characteristic length scale of the velocity field, and a globally controlled regime, which applies when the domain is larger. Asymptotic predictions for the variance decay rate in both regimes show excellent agreement with the numerical results. Consideration of both the forward flow and its time reverse makes it possible to compare the scalar evolution in flows with one or two expanding directions; simulations confirm the theoretical prediction that the decay rate of the scalar is the same in both flows, despite the very different scalar field structures.