Mean Field Limit of Interacting Filaments and Vector Valued Non-linear PDEs

Families of N interacting curves are considered, with long range, mean field type, interaction. They generalize models based on classical interacting point particles to models based on curves. In this new set-up, a mean field result is proven, as N→ ∞. The limit PDE is vector valued and, in the limit, each curve interacts with a mean field solution of the PDE. This target is reached by a careful formulation of curves and weak solutions of the PDE which makes use of 1-currents and their topologies. The main results are based on the analysis of a nonlinear Lagrangian-type flow equation. Most of the results are deterministic; as a by-product, when the initial conditions are given by families of independent random curves, we prove a propagation of chaos result. The results are local in time for general interaction kernel, global in time under some additional restriction. Our main motivation is the approximation of 3D-inviscid flow dynamics by the interacting dynamics of a large number of vortex filaments, as observed in certain turbulent fluids; in this respect, the present paper is restricted to smoothed interaction kernels, instead of the true Biot–Savart kernel.