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The rotational invariance of a central-potential Hamiltonian allows a simultaneous eigenstate of energy and the two-dimensional orbital angular momentum $L_z=-i\hslash {\partial }_{\varphi }$. For a separated wavefunction $F(r)G(\varphi )$, the Laplacian in polar coordinates givesThe $\varphi$ term must be a constant; write $G^{\prime \prime }/G=-k^2$. The angular eigenfunctions can be chosen as $e^{ik\varphi }$. Single-valuedness under $\varphi \mapsto \varphi +2\pi$ imposes $e^{2\pi ik}=1$, hence $k\in \mathbb{Z}$. The radial equation in the separation of a two-dimensional central-potential eigenstate isFor a real central potential and the usual real self-adjoint radial boundary conditions, the radial equation admits a basis of real solutions: real and imaginary parts of a complex solution obey the same equation and boundary conditions. Choose a real normalized radial eigenfunction. Since the plane area element in plane polar coordinates is $rdrd\varphi$, the normalization isThis establishes the intended separated simultaneous eigenstate form. It is not the form of every stationary state. The radial equation depends on $k^2$, so the $k$ and $-k$ sectors have the same energy. For $k\ge 1$, their normalized superpositionis a single-valued stationary state with that energy but is not a single angular exponential. Quantum degeneracy is precisely why separation of variables selects a convenient eigenstate basis rather than all vectors in an energy eigenspace. The printed assertion needs this qualification. The printed polar-coordinate aid also labels a gradient component tuple as a divergence; the gradient used below is the two-dimensional vector $\hat{\mathbf{r}}{\partial }_r+\hat{\mathbf{\varphi }}{r}^{-1}{\partial }_{\varphi }$.

A bounded-domain hypothesis is needed for the requested global construction and uniqueness. The printed question does not include it. For example, the upper half-plane satisfies the stated exterior cone condition, but both $u=0$ and $u(x_1,x_2)=x_2$ are harmonic functions with zero Dirichlet boundary condition. Thus part (iv), in its printed unrestricted solution class, is false. In this question's solutions we add that $\Omega$ is bounded; the exterior cone condition and all other data remain as printed.

The half-plane also rules out the printed global separated barrier. In its angular interval $(0,\pi )$, varying $r$ on a fixed ray forces $\nu =2$ if $r^{\nu -2}(h^{\prime \prime }+{\nu }^{2}h)\ge \delta >0$ for every $r>0$. We would then have $h^{\prime \prime }+4h\ge \delta$ and $h<0$. Put $a=\pi /4$ and $b=3\pi /4$. Twice integration by parts givescontradicting the positive integrand. Thus a source qualification is necessary for part (i) as well as part (iv).

Fix $x_0$ and its exterior cone of half-angle $\alpha$. Choose $0<{\alpha }_0<\min (\alpha ,\pi /2)$ and setOn the complement of the cone, unwrap the angle in polar coordinates as $\vartheta \in (\alpha ,2\pi -\alpha )$, measured from the cone axis. Then $\psi =\vartheta -\pi$ is the angle from the opposite axis and $|\psi |\le \pi -\alpha$ on $\overline{\Omega }\setminus \{x_0\}$. Define the power barrier for an exterior cone byThis has the requested separated form $r^{\nu }h(\vartheta )$. In the printed signed-angle convention, the same function is $-r^{\nu }\cos (\beta (\pi -|\theta |))$ outside the cone. It is smooth across the negative axis: near that axis the angular expression is the even function $\cos (\beta \psi )$.

Since $\beta (\pi -\alpha )<\pi /2$, put $m=\cos (\beta (\pi -\alpha ))>0$. The cosine is at least $m$, so $g\le -m{r}^{\nu }<0$ away from $x_0$, and $g$ is continuous at $x_0$. The Laplacian in polar coordinates givesLet $D={\sup }_{x\in \Omega }|x-x_0|<\infty$. Since $\nu <2$, the barrier for the Dirichlet problem satisfiesBoth the uniform lower bound and the later global comparison use boundedness. In particular, $-g$ is positive at every other boundary point, and is bounded away from zero on boundary sets staying a positive distance from $x_0$.

For a scalar $\varphi$, the displayed basis identities giveTaking the divergence and differentiating the basis vectors yields the Laplacian in polar coordinatesConsequently,

The regular harmonic mode with angular dependence $\cos 2\theta$ is $C{r}^2\cos 2\theta$. Its radial derivative at $r=a$ is $2Ca\cos 2\theta$, so $C=1/(2a)$. A constant is invisible to the Neumann boundary condition, givingIf two solutions existed, their difference $u$ would satisfy ${\nabla }^{2}u=0$ and ${\partial }_{n}u=0$. Green's first identity gives ${\int }_D|\nabla u{|}^2={\int }_{\partial D}u{\partial }_{n}u-{\int }_{D}u{\nabla }^{2}u=0$, so $\nabla u=0$ and $u$ is constant. Thus these are all the solutions.

For a planar set outside a global solid cone of half-angle $\alpha$, choose $0<{\alpha }_0<\min (\alpha ,\pi /2)$, $\beta =\pi /[2(\pi -{\alpha }_0)]$, and $0<\nu <\beta$. If $\psi$ is the angle from the opposite axis, the Laplacian in polar coordinates givesThe cosine has a positive uniform lower bound outside the original cone. On a bounded set, $\Delta g$ therefore has a positive uniform lower bound as well. The positive function $-g$ is a barrier for the Dirichlet problem. An unbounded set does not receive the same global lower bound from this construction.