Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/iii/paper-50/3/d/solution

On the punctured region , choose a positive constant and set
For a radial function in three dimensions, . Since , this harmonic function has at every , is nonconstant and positive, and approaches one at infinity. It defines the requested time-symmetric conformally flat vacuum initial data on that punctured or exterior region. One often writes , giving the time-symmetric spatial metric of the Schwarzschild metric in isotropic coordinates.
A puncture or inner boundary is necessary if global regularity was intended. A smooth harmonic function on all of that tends to one at infinity must equal one everywhere: applying the maximum principle for harmonic functions to larger and larger balls bounds by its arbitrarily small boundary values. The nonconstant example is therefore not a smooth solution through , and no such globally regular example exists under those stronger assumptions.

New to topics? Read the docs here!