Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / Paper 2 / 3

Set $\kappa =|k|$. The differential operator in the modified Helmholtz equation depends only on $k^2={\kappa }^2$. Let $G$ be its decaying Green function. Acting on the proposed integral with the operator, in the sense of distributions, givesThe last step is the sifting property of the Dirac delta. ThusFor a regular rapidly decaying source, the $1/|\mathbf{r}-{\mathbf{r}}^{\prime }|$ singularity of the kernel found in part (ii) is locally integrable in three dimensions, and its convolution with the source tends to zero at infinity. This verifies both the equation and the decay condition. The sign of the kernel below corresponds to ${\nabla }^2-k^2$; reversing the sign of the entire operator reverses the kernel.

By translation and rotation invariance, use a radial Green function $G(R)$, where $R=|\mathbf{r}-{\mathbf{r}}^{\prime }|$ is the Euclidean distance. Away from the source, the radial modified Helmholtz equation isWriting $u=RG$ reduces this to $u^{\prime \prime }-{\kappa }^{2}u=0$, where $\kappa =|k|$. For $\kappa >0$, decay eliminates $e^{\kappa R}/R$, leaving $G=A{e}^{-\kappa R}/R$. For $\kappa =0$, the two radial branches are a constant and $1/R$; decay again leaves $A/R$.

To fix the singular normalization, integrate the defining equation over a ball of radius $\epsilon$ about ${\mathbf{r}}^{\prime }$. The divergence theorem givesThe volume term is $O({\epsilon }^2)$, whereasConsequentlySource qualification. The printed $e^{-kR}$ is the decaying branch only when $k\ge 0$, although the source declares $k$ real. For negative $k$ it grows, so it cannot be the requested decaying Green function. The absolute value above covers every real $k$ and reduces to the printed form for nonnegative $k$.

The domain is the three-dimensional upper half-space. Reflect the source point to ${\mathbf{r}}^{\prime \ast }=(x^{\prime },y^{\prime },-z^{\prime })$. The method of images places an opposite source at this reflected point, giving the Dirichlet image kernel for the three-dimensional modified Helmholtz equationOn $z=0$, the two Euclidean distances are equal, so the terms cancel exactly. The image lies outside the domain, so its contribution satisfies the homogeneous modified Helmholtz equation everywhere inside; only the original source contributes a Dirac delta. Both terms decay at infinity, including for $k=0$, and the homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition follows.

This is the Dirichlet principle. Put $v=w-\psi$, so $v$ vanishes on the boundary. For real, sufficiently regular functions of finite Dirichlet energy, Green's first identity givesThe surface term is zero because $v=0$, and the volume term is zero because $\psi$ is a harmonic function. Expanding the square of $\nabla w=\nabla \psi +\nabla v$ now gives the stronger identityThus the harmonic function minimizes Dirichlet energy among functions with the same boundary values. Equality requires $\nabla v=0$, hence $v$ is constant on each connected component; the zero boundary value makes that constant zero on every component having boundary. For an unbounded domain one additionally needs the boundary term at infinity to vanish; the usual bounded regular-domain setting needs no such extra condition.