Harmonic slicing

Harmonic slicing imposes the harmonic-coordinate condition only on time. In 3+1 form it obeys $({\partial }_t-{\beta }^i{\partial }_i)\alpha =-{\alpha }^{2}K$.

For a positive lapse function $\alpha$, shift vector ${\beta }^i$, and the convention $K_{ij}=-({\partial }_t{\gamma }_{ij}-{\mathcal{L}}_{\beta }{\gamma }_{ij})/(2\alpha )$ for extrinsic curvature of a spatial hypersurface, the time-coordinate harmonic slicing condition yields the displayed advective lapse equation. Combining ${\partial }_t(\sqrt{\gamma }/\alpha )={\partial }_i(\sqrt{\gamma }{\beta }^i/\alpha )$ with the spatial volume evolution identity proves it without setting the shift vector to zero.

The Bona--Masso family is $({\partial }_t-{\beta }^i{\partial }_i)\alpha =-{\alpha }^{2}f(\alpha )K$. Harmonic slicing is the choice $f=1$.

For the stationary conformally flat Schwarzschild slicing with areal radius $R=r+M$, lapse $\alpha =r/(r+M)$, and radial shift ${\beta }^r=Mr/(r+M{)}^2$, the Bona--Masso condition selects