Global strong solutions with large initial data for the Cauchy problem of the multi-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes-Korteweg system

Abstract: In this paper, we establish global strong solutions for arbitrarily large initial data to the 2D and 3D compressible Navier-Stokes-Korteweg system, also referred to as the quantum Navier-Stokes equations, originally derived by Dunn and Serrin [Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 88(2):95-133, 1985]. Specifically, we prove the existence of global strong solutions for arbitrarily large initial data in the case $N=2$ when $γ\ge 1$, and $N=3$ with $1 \le γ< 8/3$ for the associated Cauchy problem. By employing techniques from Littlewood-Paley theory, range truncation analysis, refined Nash-Moser and De Giorgi iteration methods, we derive positive upper and lower bounds for the density. As a consequence, we are able to treat the whole-space case with strictly positive far-field density. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result that establishes global strong solutions for physically relevant compressible Navier-Stokes equations in the whole space, without imposing any symmetry or special geometric assumptions on the initial data.