Magnetic helicity and subsolutions in ideal MHD

Abstract

We show that ideal 2D MHD does not possess weak solutions (or even subsolutions) with compact support in time and non-trivial magnetic field. We also show that the $\Lambda$-convex hull of ideal MHD has empty interior in both 2D and 3D; this is seen by finding suitable $\Lambda$-convex functions. As a consequence we show that mean-square magnetic potential is conserved in 2D by subsolutions and weak limits of solutions in the physically natural energy space $L_t^{\infty }{L}_x^2$, and in 3D we show the conservation of magnetic helicity by $L^3$-integrable subsolutions and weak limits of solutions. However, in 3D the $\Lambda$-convex hull is shown to be large enough that nontrivial smooth, compactly supported strict subsolutions exist.

Typos, notational inconsistencies and slight inaccuracy of Remark 4.5 removed; the Introduction changed slightly; Remark 2.3 added