Hamiltonian constraint

The Hamiltonian constraint is the normal-normal projection of the Einstein field equations onto a spatial hypersurface. With the extrinsic-curvature convention used here,

For a spatial initial slice with vanishing extrinsic curvature, the vacuum momentum constraint is automatic and the Hamiltonian constraint requires zero Ricci scalar. In three spatial dimensions, the indicated conformally flat metric has $\mathcal{R}=-8{\psi }^{-5}\Delta \psi$, with a nonzero conformal factor. Thus a harmonic function supplies the data on its domain. A positive example is $\psi =1+a/r$ on a punctured or exterior region. There is no nonconstant globally smooth example on all of Euclidean three-space tending to one at infinity, by the maximum principle for harmonic functions. Time symmetry of an initial slice does not imply that its entire evolved spacetime is static.

For a spatially flat Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker metric, negative extrinsic curvature, and $K=-3H+\kappa$, the Hamiltonian constraint gives the displayed scalar perturbation equation. Indeed $K^2=9H^2-6H\kappa$ and $K^i{}_j{K}^j{}_i=3H^2-2H\kappa$ to first order. The spatial Ricci scalar is $4\Delta \Phi$; subtract the background equation $6H^2=16\pi G\bar{\rho }$ and divide by four.