The regularity from part (i) makes $u\omega$ and its first weak derivatives square-integrable. The product rule therefore holds in the distributional derivative sense:Since $u={\nabla }^{\perp }\Psi$, equality of mixed weak derivatives gives $\nabla \cdot u=0$. Both remaining expressions belong to $L_{\mathrm{per}}^2$, so their distributional equality is an equality in that space:

The second estimate in part (a) bounds $({\omega }_m)$ in $H_{\mathrm{per}}^2$. The periodic Poisson equation $-\Delta {\Psi }_m={\omega }_m$ and the supplied curl identity then bound $({\Psi }_m)$ in $H_{\mathrm{per}}^4$ and $(u_m)$ in $H_{\mathrm{per}}^3$. After passing to a subsequence,The Rellich-Kondrachov compactness theorem also gives strong convergence in the corresponding spaces with one fewer derivative. In particular, $u_m\to u$ in $L^{\infty }$ and $\nabla {\omega }_m\to \nabla \omega$ in $L^2$, soPassing to the limit in the Galerkin equations givesThese identities have the claimed Sobolev regularity, and the first holds in $L_{\mathrm{per}}^2$. Finally, the weak lower semicontinuity of the Hilbert norm preserves the estimates

Use on ${\tilde{H}}_m$ the inner product $(w,z{)}_1=(\nabla w,\nabla z)$. The map $F_m$ in the hint is continuous because it is a finite-dimensional polynomial map. Since the velocity $v={\nabla }^{\perp }\Phi$ is divergence-free,The Poincare inequality bounds $\Vert w{\Vert }_2\le {\mu }_1^{-1/2}\Vert \nabla w{\Vert }_2$. Thus $(F_m(w),w{)}_1<0$ on every $H^1$ sphere whose radius is larger than $\Vert g{\Vert }_2/(\nu \sqrt{{\mu }_1})$. The Brouwer inward-pointing zero lemma supplies $w_{\ast }$ inside that sphere with $F_m(w_{\ast })=0$.

Set ${\omega }_m=w_{\ast }$, solve $-\Delta {\Psi }_m={\omega }_m$ in ${\tilde{H}}_m$, and put $u_m={\nabla }^{\perp }{\Psi }_m$. Expanding $F_m(w_{\ast })=0$ gives exactly the first equation of the Galerkin system, so $({\omega }_m,{\Psi }_m,u_m)$ is a solution.

Take the $L^2$ inner product of the first Galerkin equation with ${\omega }_m$. The orthogonal projection may be removed against ${\omega }_m\in {\tilde{H}}_m$, and skew-symmetry of incompressible transport cancels the nonlinear term. HenceThe Cauchy-Schwarz inequality and Young inequality giveThus both quantities requested in the first estimate are bounded by, for example,

Next take the inner product with $-\Delta {\omega }_m$. Periodicity and incompressibility giveThe given curl identity and the two-dimensional Gagliardo-Nirenberg inequality implyApplying Young's inequality to this term and to $(g,-\Delta {\omega }_m)$ yieldsThe first estimate bounds the right-hand side independently of $m$. Therefore one may choose a constant $R_2=R_2(\Vert g{\Vert }_2,\gamma ,\nu ,{\mu }_1)$ such that

DefineThe first equation and the bounded inverse of the Stokes operator show that $u\in L^{\infty }(0,T;D(A))$ and thatin $L^{\infty }(0,T;H)$. In fact, the strong convergence from part (i) and convergence of the spectral projections implyIn three dimensions $D(A)\subset H^2\hookrightarrow L^{\infty }$, so $u_m{\theta }_m\to u\theta$ in $L^1(0,T;L^2)$. Because $\nabla \cdot u_m=0$,and the nonlinear term consequently converges in distributions and in the required weak $L^2(0,T;H_{\mathrm{per}}^{-1})$ sense. The linear terms pass by weak convergence, while ${\Pi }_m$ tends strongly to the identity. Hencein $L^2(0,T;H_{\mathrm{per}}^{-1})$. Together with part (i), this proves existence of a global weak solution of the Rayleigh-Bénard convection system on every finite interval.

The uniform bounds and the Banach-Alaoglu theorem provide a subsequence, not relabelled, and a function $\theta$ such thatandSince $H_{\mathrm{per}}^1$ embeds compactly into $L_{\mathrm{per}}^2$, the Aubin-Lions lemma strengthens the first convergence toThe weak continuity from evolution-space bounds gives a representativeTesting against fixed spatial modes and using ${\theta }_m(0)={\Pi }_m{\theta }_0$ shows that this representative satisfies $\theta (0)={\theta }_0$ weakly.

Take the $L^2$ inner product of the temperature equation with ${\theta }_m$. The spectral projection disappears against ${\theta }_m\in {\tilde{H}}_m$, and part (a)(iii) cancels transport. ThusThe periodic Poincare inequality, part (i), and the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality implyThe Gronwall inequality therefore gives, for $0\le t\le T$,This defines a bound $K_0(T)$ independent of $m$, and part (i) then givesIntegrating the energy identity and using the same bound on its right-hand side gives

It remains to estimate the time derivative. For $\phi \in H_{\mathrm{per}}^1$, the Fourier projection ${\Pi }_m$ is a contraction in $H^1$, and the skew identity from part (a) givesThe sobolev embedding theorem and the periodic elliptic estimate for the Stokes operator bound $\Vert u_m{\Vert }_{\infty }$ by $C|A{u}_m|$. Moreover,The already obtained bounds therefore implywith $K_0^{\prime }(T)$ independent of $m$.

The first equation determines $u_m$ linearly from ${\theta }_m$:Substitution into the second equation gives an ordinary differential equation on the finite-dimensional space ${\tilde{H}}_m$. Its right-hand side is polynomial, and therefore locally Lipschitz continuous. The Picard-Lindelof theorem supplies a unique local solution. The energy estimate in part (iii) bounds ${\theta }_m$ on every finite time interval, so the finite-dimensional continuation criterion rules out finite-time escape. The solution is consequently unique on every interval $[0,T]$.

Both $P_m$ and the Leray-Helmholtz projection are orthogonal projections, hence contractions in $L^2$. Taking the $H$ norm of the first Galerkin equation givesTherefore