An Improved Regularity Criterion and Absence of Splash-like Singularities for g-SQG Patches
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We prove that splash-like singularities cannot occur for sufficiently regular patch solutions to the generalized surface quasi-geostrophic equation on the plane or half-plane with parameter $\alpha \le 1/4$. This includes potential touches of more than two patch boundary segments in the same location, an eventuality that has not been excluded previously and presents nontrivial complications (in fact, if we do a priori exclude it, then our results extend to all $\alpha \in (0,1)$). As a corollary, we obtain an improved global regularity criterion for H3 patch solutions when $\alpha \le 1/4$, namely that finite time singularities cannot occur while the H3 norms of patch boundaries remain bounded.