Non-uniqueness of Leray solutions of the forced Navier-Stokes equations

Abstract: In the seminal work [39], Leray demonstrated the existence of global weak solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations in three dimensions. We exhibit two distinct Leray solutions with zero initial velocity and identical body force. Our approach is to construct a `background' solution which is unstable for the Navier-Stokes dynamics in similarity variables; its similarity profile is a smooth, compactly supported vortex ring whose cross-section is a modification of the unstable two-dimensional vortex constructed by Vishik in [43,44]. The second solution is a trajectory on the unstable manifold associated to the background solution, in accordance with the predictions of Jia and \v{S}ver\'ak in [32,33]. Our solutions live precisely on the borderline of the known well-posedness theory.