Sharp interface limit for a Navier–Stokes/Allen–Cahn system in the case of a vanishing mobility

Abstract We consider the sharp interface limit of a Navier–Stokes/Allen Cahn equation in a bounded smooth domain in two space dimensions, in the case of vanishing mobility m_ = mε=ε, where the small parameter >0 ε>0 related to the thickness of the diffuse interface is sent to zero. For well-prepared initial data and sufficiently small times, we rigorously prove convergence to the classical two-phase Navier–Stokes system with surface tension. The idea of the proof is to use asymptotic expansions to construct an approximate solution and to estimate the difference of the exact and approximate solutions with a spectral estimate for the (at the approximate solution) linearized Allen–Cahn operator. In the calculations we use a fractional order ansatz and new ansatz terms in higher orders leading to a suitable ε -scaled and coupled model problem. Moreover, we apply the novel idea of introducing ε -dependent coordinates.