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Choose a magnetic vector potential with $\mathbf{B}=\nabla \times \mathbf{A}$. The resistive induction equation permits the evolution equationA gauge transformation changes $H={\int }_V\mathbf{A}\cdot \mathbf{B}dV$ by a surface integral of the normal magnetic field, which is zero here. Thus the integrated magnetic helicity has gauge invariance under the stated boundary conditions.

Differentiate both factors in $H$. Use the stated vanishing-boundary assumption to remove the helicity surface flux; this can be implemented in the usual closed-boundary gauge $\mathbf{n}\times \mathbf{A}=0$, or by extending the localized field and integrating over all space with sufficient decay. The curl integration by parts identity then givesThe motional term is zero pointwise because $(\mathbf{u}\times \mathbf{B})\cdot \mathbf{B}=0$. The scalar-potential term integrates to zero by $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{B}=0$ and the boundary condition. The resistive magnetic-helicity balance is thereforeUnlike the resistive magnetic energy contribution, this signed integral need not have a fixed sign.

A magnetic field varying over a length $\ell$ has $|\nabla \times \mathbf{B}|$ of order $B/\ell$. Consequently, the resistive magnetic energy loss contains two inverse powers of $\ell$, while the resistive magnetic-helicity balance contains only one. Small-scale gradients can therefore dissipate substantial magnetic energy while retaining an approximately conserved large-scale magnetic helicity.

A dimensionally consistent version is the selective decay bound for magnetic helicity. With $D_B={\eta }_m{\int }_V|\nabla \times \mathbf{B}{|}^{2}dV/{\mu }_0$, the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality givesFor bounded $E_B$ and bounded, possibly nonvanishing $D_B$ as ${\eta }_m\to 0$, the resistive change in magnetic helicity tends to zero, even though resistive magnetic energy loss may remain finite. Magnetic energy is preferentially dissipated, while magnetic helicity is approximately conserved in this bounded-energy, bounded-dissipation limit.

This is not a comparison of quantities with different physical units or a universal ordering of fractional decay rates. For a single Beltrami field satisfying $\nabla \times \mathbf{B}=k\mathbf{B}$, both integrated quantities have fractional decay rate $2{\eta }_m{k}^2$ without fluid motion. The boundedness assumptions and distribution of magnetic helicity across spatial scales matter.

With the closed-boundary assumptions of the resistive magnetic-helicity balance, define the nonnegative resistive magnetic energy loss $D_B={\eta }_m{\int }_V|\nabla \times \mathbf{B}{|}^{2}dV/{\mu }_0$. The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality gives the displayed bound. Consequently, in a family of fields with bounded $E_B,D_B$ as ${\eta }_m\to 0$, resistive magnetic helicity loss tends to zero even when $D_B$ remains finite. This is an absolute conservation estimate; it is not a universal comparison of fractional decay times. For a single Beltrami field with $\nabla \times \mathbf{B}=k\mathbf{B}$ and no motion, both $E_B$ and $H$ have the same fractional decay rate $2{\eta }_m{k}^2$.