Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2016 / ib / Paper 4 / 17B / a / Solution

With the positive logarithmic fundamental solution used here, a Dirichlet Green function for an interior pole ${\mathbf{r}}_0$ satisfiesEquivalently, $G-G_0$ is harmonic near the pole, $G$ is harmonic away from it, and it has the specified logarithmic singularity. Regularity up to the remaining boundary is understood; on an unbounded domain impose the appropriate condition at infinity as well.

Apply Green second identity with $f=\psi$ and $g=G$. Since $\psi$ is a harmonic function, the volume integral is $\int \psi {\delta }_{{\mathbf{r}}_0}dA=\psi ({\mathbf{r}}_0)$. The term $G{\partial }_n\psi$ vanishes on the boundary by the Dirichlet boundary condition. ThereforeOne may equivalently excise a small disc around the pole and take its radius to zero. The sign is positive because this question uses ${\nabla }^{2}G=+\delta$, not the alternative negative-Laplacian convention.