Obstructions to topological relaxation for generic magnetic fields

Abstract

For any axisymmetric toroidal domain $\Omega \subset {\mathbf{R}}^3$ we prove that there is a locally generic set of divergence-free vector fields that are not topologically equivalent to any magnetohydrostatic (MHS) equilibrium in $\Omega$. Each vector field in this set is Morse-Smale on the boundary, does not admit a nonconstant first integral, and exhibits fast growth of periodic orbits; in particular this set is residual in the Newhouse domain. The key dynamical idea behind this result is that a vector field with a dense set of nondegenerate periodic orbits cannot be topologically equivalent to a generic MHS equilibrium. On the analytic side, this geometric obstruction is implemented by means of a novel rigidity theorem for the relaxation of generic magnetic fields with a suitably complex orbit structure.