Finite time blow up for the energy critical Zakharov system I: approximate solutions

TL;DR

This paper constructs approximate solutions to the 4D energy-critical Zakharov system that exhibit finite-time blow-up, advancing understanding of singularity formation in nonlinear dispersive PDEs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for constructing approximate blow-up solutions for the critical Zakharov system using matched asymptotic techniques.

Findings

Constructed solutions collapse in finite time to a singular state.

Demonstrated the solutions approximate true dynamics with controlled error.

Extended methods from Schrödinger blow-up analysis to Zakharov system.

Abstract

We construct approximate solutions $ (\psi_*, n_*)$ of the critical 4D Zakharov system which collapse in finite time to a singular renormalization of the solitary bulk solutions $ (\lambda e^{i \theta}W, \lambda^2 W^2)$ . To be precise for $ N \in \mathbb{Z}_+,\;N \gg1 $ we obtain a magnetic envelope/ion density pair of the form $$ \psi_*(t, x)= e^{i\alpha(t)}\lambda(t) W(\lambda(t)x) + \eta(t, x), \;n_*(t,x) = \lambda^2(t) W^2(\lambda(t) x) + \chi(t,x), $$ where $ W(x) = (1 + \frac{|x|^2}{8})^{-1}$, $\alpha(t) = \alpha_0 \log(t)$, $\lambda(t)= t^{-\frac{1}{2}-\nu}$ with large $\nu > 1 $ and further $$ i \partial_t \psi_* + \Delta \psi_* + n_* \psi_* = \mathcal{O}(t^N),\; \Box n_* - \Delta (|\psi_*|^2) = \mathcal{O}(t^N),\;\;\eta(t) \to \eta_0, \chi(t) \to \chi_0, $$ as $ t \to 0^+$ in a suitable sense. The method of construction is inspired by matched asymptotic regions and approximation procedures in the context of blow up solutions introduced by the first author jointly with W. Schlag and D. Tataru, as well as the subsequently developed methods in the Schr\"odinger context by G. Perelman et al.