Non-uniqueness of smooth solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations on torus $\TTT^2$

Abstract

The local well-posedness theory for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in $\BMO^{-1}$ has attracted considerable attention over the past two decades. In a recent breakthrough, Coiculescu and Palasek (Invent. Math., 2025) settled the three-dimensional case by demonstrating the existence of two distinct global solutions, both smooth for $t>0$, evolving from a common initial datum in ${\mathrm{BMO}}^{-1}({\mathbb{T}}^3)$. However, the two-dimensional case remains open. In this paper, we solve the two-dimensional problem. Unlike its three-dimensional counterpart, the two-dimensional setting presents additional difficulties stemming from the geometric intersections of two-dimensional Mikado flows. To overcome these difficulties, we develop a heat-dominated Fourier mode flow built upon steady two-dimensional Euler flows, and present the proof using a new iterative scheme.