Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2014 / Paper 2 / 3 / ii / a / Solution

Impose a homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition on the Green function in its first variable, $G(r,r^{\prime })=0$ for $r\in S$. The second boundary term then vanishes, givingIn a bounded domain, a Dirichlet Green function requires $k^2$ not to be a Dirichlet eigenvalue of $-\Delta$; otherwise a resonance can obstruct its existence. The representation assumes such a Green function exists.

In all space, put $\rho =|r-r^{\prime }|$ and try $G=A{e}^{ik\rho }/\rho$. For $\rho >0$, direct differentiation gives $({\rho }^2{G}^{\prime }{)}^{\prime }+k^2{\rho }^{2}G=0$, so the Helmholtz equation holds away from the source. Integrate its inhomogeneous version over a small source-centred ball. The $k^{2}G$ volume integral tends to zero, while the flux isIt must equal the integrated delta, one. ThereforeThis is the negative of the convention used in the outgoing Green function for the three-dimensional Helmholtz equation, where the source is $-\delta$. The sign here follows the present $+\delta$ convention. The factor $e^{ik\rho }$ chooses the outgoing solution, with time convention $e^{-i\omega t}$ and the Sommerfeld radiation condition; one could add homogeneous solutions without a radiation prescription.