Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

Fluid models are used to make predictions about critical real-world systems arising in diverse fields including but not limited to meteorology, climate science, mechanical engineering, and geophysics. Simulations based on fluid models can, for example, be used to make predictions about the strength of a tornado or the stresses on an aircraft wing passing through turbulent air. The possibility that a mathematical model does not capture the full range of possible real-world scenarios is concerning if the predictions do not account for extreme events. It has been confirmed by computer assisted proof that the 3D Navier-Stokes equations possess non-unique solutions. The existence of such solutions can, in principle, pose a challenge to forecasters. This talk explores mathematical work aiming to quantify the rate at which non-unique solutions can separate.