The evolution Navier-Stokes equations in a cube under Navier boundary conditions: rarefaction and uniqueness of global solutions

We study the evolution Navier-Stokes equations in a cube under Navier boundary conditions. For the related stationary Stokes problem, we determine explicitly all the eigenvectors, eigenvalues and the corresponding Weyl asymptotic. We introduce the notion of rarefaction, namely families of eigenvectors that weakly interact with each other through the nonlinearity. By combining the spectral analysis with rarefaction, we expand the solutions in Fourier series, making explicit some of their properties. We then suggest several new points of view in order to explain the striking difference in uniqueness results between 2D and 3D. First, we construct examples of solutions for which the nonlinearity plays a minor role, both in 2D and 3D. Second, we show that, if a solution is rarefied, then its energy is decreasing: hence, rarefaction may be seen as an almost two dimensional assumption. Finally, by exploiting the explicit form of the eigenvectors we provide a numerical explanation of the difficulty in using energy methods for general solutions of the 3D equations.