Potential singularity formation of incompressible axisymmetric Euler equations with degenerate viscosity coefficients

Abstract: In this paper, we present strong numerical evidences that the incompressible axisymmetric Euler equations with degenerate viscosity coefficients and smooth initial data of finite energy develop a potential finite-time locally self-similar singularity at the origin. An important feature of this potential singularity is that the solution develops a two-scale traveling wave that travels towards the origin. The two-scale feature is characterized by the scaling property that the center of the traveling wave is located at a ring of radius $O((T-t)^{1/2})$ surrounding the symmetry axis while the thickness of the ring collapses at a rate $O(T-t)$. The driving mechanism for this potential singularity is due to an antisymmetric vortex dipole that generates a strong shearing layer in both the radial and axial velocity fields. Without the viscous regularization, the $3$D Euler equations develop a sharp front and some shearing instability in the far field. On the other hand, the Navier-Stokes equations with a constant viscosity coefficient regularize the two-scale solution structure and do not develop a finite-time singularity for the same initial data.