Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/paper-2/3/b/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2016 Paper 2 3 b i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Define the candidate potential by convolving the decaying Green function with the source. Acting with the Laplacian in the observation variable gives, in the sense of distributions,The final equality is the sifting property of the Dirac delta. The kernel found in part (ii) is locally integrable, and its convolution with a sufficiently regular rapidly decaying source also vanishes at spatial infinity. Thus it satisfies the Poisson equation and the required condition at infinity.
The difference from any other regular decaying solution is a harmonic function on all of space vanishing at infinity, hence is zero by the maximum principle. ThereforeOne can also obtain this expression from Green's second identity on larger and larger balls, with the singularity of the kernel treated distributionally. The surface term at infinity vanishes for the usual potential decay and gradient decay.
New to topics? Read the docs here!