This is the second paper in a series of papers adressing the characteristic gluing problem for the Einstein vacuum equations. We solve the codimension-$10$ characteristic gluing problem for characteristic data which are close to the Minkowski data. We derive an infinite-dimensional space of gauge-dependent charges and a $10$-dimensional space of gauge-invariant charges that are conserved by the linearized null constraint equations and act as obstructions to the gluing problem. The gauge-dependent charges can be matched by applying angular and transversal gauge transformations of the characteristic data. By making use of a special hierarchy of radial weights of the null constraint equations, we construct the null lapse function and the conformal geometry of the characteristic hypersurface, and we show that the aforementioned charges are in fact the only obstructions to the gluing problem. Modulo the gauge-invariant charges, the resulting solution of the null constraint equations is $C^{m+2}$ for any specified integer $m\geq0$ in the tangential directions and $C^2$ in the transversal directions to the characteristic hypersurface. We also show that higher-order (in all directions) gluing is possible along bifurcated characteristic hypersurfaces (modulo the gauge-invariant charges).
In this paper we introduce the characteristic gluing problem for the Einstein vacuum equations. We present a codimension-$10$ gluing construction for characteristic initial data which are close to the Minkowski data and we show that the $10$-dimensional obstruction space consists of gauge-invariant charges which are conserved by the linearized null constraint equations. By relating these $10$ charges to the ADM energy, linear momentum, angular momentum and the center-of-mass we prove that asymptotically flat data can be characteristically glued (including the $10$ charges) to the data of a sui…
In this paper we develop a new approach to the gluing problem in General Relativity, that is, the problem of matching two solutions of the Einstein equations along a spacelike or characteristic (null) hypersurface. In contrast to the previous constructions, the new perspective actively utilizes the nonlinearity of the constraint equations. As a result, we are able to remove the $10$-dimensional spaces of obstructions to the null and spacelike (asymptotically flat) gluing problems, previously known in the literature. In particular, we show that any asymptotically flat spacelike initial data can…
We construct dynamical many-black-hole spacetimes with well-controlled asymptotic behavior as solutions of the Einstein vacuum equation with positive cosmological constant. We accomplish this by gluing Schwarzschild-de Sitter or Kerr-de Sitter black hole metrics into neighborhoods of points on the future conformal boundary of de Sitter space, under certain balance conditions on the black hole parameters. We give a self-contained treatment of solving the Einstein equation directly for the metric, given the scattering data we encounter at the future conformal boundary. The main step in the const…
We show that asymptotically hyperbolic solutions of the Einstein constraint equations with constant mean curvature can be glued in such a way that their asymptotic regions are connected.
We extend the conformal gluing construction of Isenberg-Mazzeo-Pollack [18] by establishing an analogous gluing result for field theories obtained by minimally coupling Einstein's gravitational theory with matter fields. We treat classical fields such as perfect fluids and the Yang-Mills equations as well as the Einstein-Vlasov system, which is an important example coming from kinetic theory. In carrying out these extensions, we extend the conformal gluing technique to higher dimensions and codify it in such a way as to make more transparent where it can, and can not, be applied. In particular…
This is the third paper in a series of papers adressing the characteristic gluing problem for the Einstein vacuum equations. We provide full details of our characteristic gluing (including the $10$ charges) of strongly asymptotically flat data to the data of a suitably chosen Kerr spacetime. The choice of the Kerr spacetime crucially relies on relating the $10$ charges to the ADM energy, linear momentum, angular momentum and the center-of-mass. As a corollary, we obtain an alternative proof of the Corvino-Schoen spacelike gluing construction for strongly asymptotically flat spacelike initial d…
We establish a general gluing theorem for constant mean curvature solutions of the vacuum Einstein constraint equations. This allows one to take connected sums of solutions or to glue a handle (wormhole) onto any given solution. Away from this handle region, the initial data sets we produce can be made as close as desired to the original initial data sets. These constructions can be made either when the initial manifold is compact or asymptotically Euclidean or asymptotically hyperbolic, with suitable corresponding conditions on the extrinsic curvature. In the compact setting a mild nondegener…
We develop a gluing construction which adds scaled and truncated asymptotically Euclidean solutions of the Einstein constraint equations to compact solutions with potentially non-trivial cosmological constants. The result is a one-parameter family of initial data which has ordinary and scaled "point-particle" limits analogous to those of Gralla and Wald ("A rigorous derivation of gravitational self-force," Class. Quantum Grav. 2008). In particular, we produce examples of initial data which generalize Schwarzschild - de Sitter initial data and gluing theorems of IMP-type.
In 2002, Isenberg-Mazzeo-Pollack (IMP) constructed a series of vacuum initial data sets via a gluing construction. In this paper, we investigate some local geometry of these initial data sets as well as implications regarding their spacetime developments. In particular, we state conditions for the existence of outer trapped surfaces near the center of the IMP gluing neck and thence use a generalization of the Penrose incompleteness theorem to deduce null incompleteness of the resulting spacetimes.
We present a procedure for asymptotic gluing of hyperboloidal initial data sets that preserves the shear-free condition. Our construction is modeled on a previous gluing construction by the last three named authors, but with significant modifications that incorporate the shear-free condition. We rely on the special Hölder spaces, and the corresponding theory for elliptic operators on weakly asymptotically hyperbolic manifolds, introduced by the authors and applied to the Einstein constraint equations in two previous papers.
We establish an optimal gluing construction for general relativistic initial data sets. The construction is optimal in two distinct ways. First, it applies to generic initial data sets and the required (generically satisfied) hypotheses are geometrically and physically natural. Secondly, the construction is completely local in the sense that the initial data is left unaltered on the complement of arbitrarily small neighborhoods of the points about which the gluing takes place. Using this construction we establish the existence of cosmological, maximal globally hyperbolic, vacuum space-times wi…
Building on the work of Giulini and Holzegel (2005), a new numerical approach is developed for computing Cauchy data for Einstein's equations by gluing a Schwarzschild end to a Brill-Lindquist metric via a Corvino-type construction. In contrast to, and in extension of, the numerical strategy of Doulis and Rinne (2016), the overdetermined Poisson problem resulting from the Brill wave ansatz is decomposed to obtain two uniquely solvable problems. A pseudospectral method and Newton-Krylov root finder are utilized to perform the gluing. The convergence analysis strongly indicates that the numerica…
We construct initial data sets which satisfy the vacuum constraint equa- tions of General Relativity with positive cosmologigal constant. More pre- silely, we deform initial data with ends asymptotic to Schwarzschild-de Sitter to obtain non-trivial initial data with exactly Kerr-de Sitter ends. The method is inspired from Corvino's gluing method. We obtain here a extension of a previous result for the time-symmetric case by Chruściel and Pollack.
In a previous work [I. Rodnianski and Y. Shlapentokh-Rothman, Naked Singularities for the Einstein Vacuum Equations: The Exterior Solution, arXiv:1912.08478] we constructed solutions to the Einstein vacuum equations in 3+1 dimensions which corresponded to the exterior region of a naked singularity. In this work we construct solutions which correspond to the interior region and show that the two solutions may be glued together to produce a naked singularity. Fundamental to our construction is the novel type of self-similarity for the Einstein vacuum equations that we introduced in our previous …
In this work we initiate the mathematical study of naked singularities for the Einstein vacuum equations in $3+1$ dimensions by constructing solutions which correspond to the exterior region of a naked singularity. A key element is our introduction of a new type of self-similarity for the Einstein vacuum equations. Connected to this is a new geometric twisting phenomenon which plays the leading role in singularity formation. Prior to this work, the only known examples of naked singularities were the solutions constructed by Christodoulou for the spherically symmetric Einstein-scalar-field syst…
One of the central difficulties of settling the $L^2$-bounded curvature conjecture for the Einstein -Vacuum equations is to be able to control the causal structure of spacetimes with such limited regularity. In this paper we show how to circumvent this difficulty by showing that the geometry of null hypersurfaces of Enstein-Vacuum spacetimes can be controlled in terms of initial data and the total curvature flux through the hypersurface.
We prove that there are no restrictions on the spatial topology of asymptotically flat solutions of the vacuum Einstein equations in (n+1)-dimensions. We do this by gluing a solution of the vacuum constraint equations on an arbitrary compact manifold to an asymptotically Euclidean solution of the constraints on R^n. For any compact manifold which does not admit a metric of positive scalar curvature, this provides for the existence of asymptotically flat vacuum spacetimes with no maximal slices. Our main theorem is a special case of a more general gluing construction for nondegenerate solutions…
We develop a local theory for the construction of singular spacetimes in all spacetime dimensions which become asymptotically self-similar as the singularity is approached. The techniques developed also allow us to construct and classify exact self-similar solutions which correspond to the formal asymptotic expansions of Fefferman and Graham's ambient metric.
In this paper, we introduce new methods for solving the vacuum Einstein constraints equations: the first one is based on Schaefer's fixed point theorem (known methods use Schauder's fixed point theorem) while the second one uses the concept of half-continuity coupled with the introduction of local supersolutions. These methods allow to: unify some recent existence results, simplify many proofs (for instance, the main theorem in arXiv:1012.2188) and weaken the assumptions of many recent results.
We describe a numerical method to construct Cauchy data extending to space-like infinity based on Corvino's (2000) gluing method. Adopting the setting of Giulini and Holzegel (2005), we restrict ourselves here to vacuum axisymmetric spacetimes and glue a Schwarzschildean end to Brill-Lindquist data describing two non-rotating black holes. Our numerical implementation is based on pseudo-spectral methods, and we carry out extensive convergence tests to check the validity of our numerical results. We also investigate the dependence of the total ADM mass on the details of the gluing construction.
The Cauchy problem of the vacuum Einstein's equations aims to find a semi-metric $g_{αβ}$ of a spacetime with vanishing Ricci curvature $R_{α,β}$ and prescribed initial data. Under the harmonic gauge condition, the equations $R_{α,β}=0$ are transferred into a system of quasi-linear wave equations which are called the reduced Einstein equations. The initial data for Einstein's equations are a proper Riemannian metric $h_{ab}$ and a second fundamental form $K_{ab}$. A necessary condition for the reduced Einstein equation to satisfy the vacuum equations is that the initial data satisfy Einstein c…
We develop a framework for understanding the existence of asymptotically flat solutions to the static vacuum Einstein equations with prescribed boundary data consisting of the induced metric and mean curvature on a 2-sphere. A partial existence result is obtained, giving a partial resolution of a conjecture of Bartnik on such static vacuum extensions. The existence and uniqueness of such extensions is closely related to Bartnik's definition of quasi-local mass.
We exhibit large classes of local actions for the vacuum Einstein equations. In presence of fermions, or more generally of matter which couple to the connection, these actions lead to inequivalent equations revealing an arbitrary number of parameters. Even in the pure gravitational sector, any corresponding quantum theory would depend on these parameters.
In this paper, we consider very rough solutions to Cauchy problem for the Einstein vacuum equations in CMC spacial harmonic gauge, and obtain the local well-posedness result in $H^s, s>2$. The novelty of our approach lies in that, without resorting to the standard paradifferential regularization over the rough, Einstein metric $\bg$, we manage to implement the commuting vector field approach to prove Strichartz estimate for geometric wave equation $\Box_\bg ϕ=0$ directly.
In this work a new numerical technique to prepare Cauchy data for the initial value problem (IVP) formulation of Einstein's field equations is presented. Directly inspired by the exterior asymptotic gluing (EAG) result of Corvino (2000) our (pseudo)-spectral scheme is demonstrated under the assumption of axisymmetry so as to fashion composite Hamiltonian constraint satisfying initial data featuring internal binary black holes (BBH) as glued to exterior Schwarzschild initial data in isotropic form. The generality of the method is illustrated in a comparison of the ADM mass of EAG initial data s…
We continue recent work and formulate the gravitational vacuum Einstein equations over a locally finite spacetime by using the basic axiomatics, techniques, ideas and working philosophy of Abstract Differential Geometry. The whole construction is `fully covariant', `inherently quantum' (both expressions are analytically explained in the paper) and genuinely smooth background spacetime independent.
In this article, we give nonexistence and nonuniqueness results for the vacuum Einstein conformal constraint equations in the far-from-CMC case and also show that in some cases the equations of the conformal method for positive Yamabe metrics and with TT-tensor $σ$ = 0 have a non-trivial solution, and thus answer a question by D. Maxwell.
Let $\M_*=\cup_{t\in [t_0, t_*)} Σ_t$ be a part of vacuum globally hyperbolic space-time $(\bM, \bg)$, foliated by constant mean curvature hypersurfaces $Σ_t$ with $t_0<t_*<0$. We show that the foliation can be extended beyond $t_*$ if the second fundamental form $k$ and the lapse function $n$ satisfy $$ \int_{t_0}^{t_*}(\|k\|_{L^\infty(Σ_t)}+\|\nab \log n\|_{L^\infty(Σ_t)}) dt <\infty. $$ This improves the existing breakdown criteria for Einstein vacuum equations.
We study the existence and uniqueness of solutions to the static vacuum Einstein equations in bounded domains, satisfying the Bartnik boundary conditions of prescribed metric and mean curvature on the boundary.
We give a sufficient condition, with no restrictions on the mean curvature, under which the conformal method can be used to generate solutions of the vacuum Einstein constraint equations on compact manifolds. The condition requires a so-called global supersolution but does not require a global subsolution. As a consequence, we construct a class of solutions of the vacuum Einstein constraint equations with freely specified mean curvature, extending a recent result of Holst, Nagy, and Tsogtgerel [HNT07] which constructed similar solutions in the presence of matter. We give a second proof of this…
We prove global stability of Minkowski space for the Einstein vacuum equations in harmonic (wave) coordinate gauge for the set of restricted data coinciding with Schwartzschild solution in the neighborhood of space-like infinity. The result contradicts previous beliefs that wave coordinates are "unstable in the large" and provides an alternative approach to the stability problem originally solved (for unrestricted data, in a different gauge and with a precise description of the asymptotic behavior at null infinity) by D. Christodoulou and S. Klainerman. Using the wave coordinate gauge we recas…
We construct non-trivial vacuum space-times with a global Scri. The construction proceeds by proving extension results across compact boundaries for initial data sets, adapting the gluing arguments of Corvino and Schoen. Another application of the extension results is existence of initial data which are exactly Schwarzschild both near infinity and near each of the connected component of the apparent horizon.
We construct solutions to the constraint equations in general relativity using the limit equation criterion introduced by Dahl, Humbert and the first author. We focus on solutions over compact 3-manifolds admitting a $\bS^1$-symmetry group. When the quotient manifold has genus greater than 2, we obtain strong far from CMC results.
We survey some results on scalar curvature and properties of solutions to the Einstein constraint equations. Topics include an extended discussion of asymptotically flat solutions to the constraint equations, including recent results on the geometry of the center of mass of such solutions. We also review methods to construct solutions to the constraint equations, including the conformal method, as well as gluing techniques for which it is important to understand both conformal and non-conformal deformations of the scalar curvature.
We study solutions to the static vacuum Einstein equations on exterior domains with prescribed metric and mean curvature on the inner boundary. It is proved that for any such boundary data near the standard round boundary data in Euclidean space, there exists a unique AF solution to the static vacuum equations realizing the boundary data, which is close to the standard flat solution.
A new solution of Einstein's vacuum field equations is discovered which appears as a generalization of the well-known Ozsvath-Schucking solution and explains its source of curvature which has otherwise remained hidden. Curiously, the new solution has a vanishing Kretschmann scalar and is singularity-free despite being curved. The discovery of the new solution is facilitated by a new insight which reveals that it is always possible to define the source of curvature in a vacuum solution in terms of some dimensional parameters. As the parameters vanish, so does the curvature. The new insight also…
We present an infinite hierarchy of nonlocal conservation laws for the Przanowski equation, an integrable second-order PDE locally equivalent to anti-self-dual vacuum Einstein equations with nonzero cosmological constant. The hierarchy in question is constructed using a nonisospectral Lax pair for the equation under study. As a byproduct, we obtain an infinite-dimensional differential covering over the Przanowski equation.
A new class of higher-dimensional exact solutions of Einstein's vacuum equation is presented. These metrics are written in terms of the exponential of a symmetric matrix and when this matrix is diagonal the solution reduces to higher-dimensional generalizations of Kasner spacetime with a cosmological constant. On the other hand, the metrics attained when such matrix is non-diagonal have more intricate algebraic structures. Such solutions have not been presented in the literature yet.
Sorbonne Université & Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique(索邦大学与法国国家科学研究中心);Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Hautes Énergies, Sorbonne Université & Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique(理论物理与高能实验室,索邦大学与法国国家科学研究中心);Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions, Sorbonne Université & Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique(雅克-路易·利翁斯实验室,索邦大学与法国国家科学研究中心)
We derive a unique continuation theorem for the vacuum Einstein equations. Our method of proof utilizes Carleman estimates (most importantly one obtained recently by Ionescu and Klainerman), but also relies strongly on certain geometric gauge constructions which make it possible to address this problem via such estimates. We indicate how our method can be used more broadly to derive unique continuation for Einstein's equations from Carleman estimates for the wave operator.
It is proved that the only geodesically complete stationary vacuum solution of the Einstein equations is the empty Minkowski space, or a quotient of it by a discrete group of isometries, generalizing a classical result of Lichnerowicz. In addition, we obtain an apriori bound on the curvature of stationary vacuum solutions away from the boundary or horizon.
Let $(M,g)$ be a compact Riemannian manifold on which a trace-free and divergence-free $σ\in W^{1,p}$ and a positive function $τ\in W^{1,p}$, $p > n$, are fixed. In this paper, we study the vacuum Einstein constraint equations using the well known conformal method with data $σ$ and $τ$. We show that if no solution exists then there is a non-trivial solution of another non-linear limit equation on $1$-forms. This last equation can be shown to be without solutions no solution in many situations. As a corollary, we get existence of solutions of the vacuum Einstein constraint equation under explic…
We show that a set of conformally invariant equations derived from the Fefferman-Graham tensor can be used to construct global solutions of the vacuum Einstein equations, in all even dimensions. This gives, in particular, a new, simple proof of Friedrich's result on the future hyperboloidal stability of Minkowski space-time, and extends its validity to even dimensions.
Viewing Einstein's theory as the gauge theory of Lorentz group, we construct the most general vacuum connections which have vanishing curvature tensor and show that the vacuum space-time can be classified by the knot topology $π_3(S^3)\simeq π_3(S^2)$ of $π_3(SO(3,1))$. With this we obtain the gauge independent vacuum decomposition of Einstein's theory to the vacuum and gauge covariant physical parts. We discuss the physical implications of our result in quantum gravity.
Generalising an analysis of Corvino and Schoen, we study surjectivity properties of the constraint map in general relativity in a large class of weighted Sobolev spaces. As a corollary we prove several perturbation, gluing, and extension results: we show existence of non-trivial, singularity-free, vacuum space-times which are stationary in a neighborhood of $i^0$; for small perturbations of parity-covariant initial data sufficiently close to those for Minkowski space-time this leads to space-times with a smooth global Scri; we prove existence of initial data for many black holes which are exac…
We present a local gluing construction for general relativistic initial data sets. The method applies to generic initial data, in a sense which is made precise. In particular the trace of the extrinsic curvature is not assumed to be constant near the gluing points, which was the case for previous such constructions. No global conditions on the initial data sets such as compactness, completeness, or asymptotic conditions are imposed. As an application, we prove existence of spatially compact, maximal globally hyperbolic, vacuum space-times without any closed constant mean curvature spacelike hy…
In this note we examine some recently proposed solutions of the linearized vacuum Einstein equations. We show that such solutions are {\it not} symmetries of the Einstein equations, because of a crucial integrability condition.
We analyse the issue of uniqueness of solutions of the static vacuum Einstein equations with prescribed geometric or Bartnik boundary data. Large classes of examples are constructed where uniqueness fails. We then discuss the implications of this behavior for the Bartnik quasi-local mass. A variational characterization of Bartnik boundary data is also given.