Static self-gravitating elastic bodies in Einstein gravity

We prove that given a stress-free elastic body there exists, for sufficiently small values of the gravitational constant, a unique static solution of the Einstein equations coupled to the equations of relativistic elasticity. The solution constructed is a small deformation of the relaxed configuration. This result yields the first proof of existence of static solutions of the Einstein equations without symmetries.Comment: 29 pages. Updated to conform with published version, typos fixe

On unbounded bodies with finite mass: asymptotic behaviour

There is introduced a class of barotropic equations of state (EOS) which become polytropic of index $n = 5$ at low pressure. One then studies asymptotically flat solutions of the static Einstein equations coupled to perfect fluids having such an EOS. It is shown that such solutions, in the same manner as the vacuum ones, are conformally smooth or analytic at infinity, when the EOS is smooth or analytic, respectively.Comment: 6 page

Rotating elastic bodies in Einstein gravity

We prove that, given a stress-free, axially symmetric elastic body, there exists, for sufficiently small values of the gravitational constant and of the angular frequency, a unique stationary axisymmetric solution to the Einstein equations coupled to the equations of relativistic elasticity with the body performing rigid rotations around the symmetry axis at the given angular frequency.Comment: 27 page

TT-tensors and conformally flat structures on 3-manifolds

We study transverse-tracefree (TT)-tensors on conformally flat 3-manifolds $(M,g)$. The Cotton-York tensor linearized at $g$ maps every symmetric tracefree tensor into one which is TT. The question as to whether this is the general solution to the TT-condition is viewed as a cohomological problem within an elliptic complex first found by Gasqui and Goldschmidt and reviewed in the present paper. The question is answered affirmatively when $M$ is simply connected and has vanishing 2nd de Rham cohomology.Comment: 11 page

Bowen-York Tensors

There is derived, for a conformally flat three-space, a family of linear second-order partial differential operators which send vectors into tracefree, symmetric two-tensors. These maps, which are parametrized by conformal Killing vectors on the three-space, are such that the divergence of the resulting tensor field depends only on the divergence of the original vector field. In particular these maps send source-free electric fields into TT-tensors. Moreover, if the original vector field is the Coulomb field on $\mathbb{R}^3\backslash \lbrace0\rbrace$, the resulting tensor fields on $\mathbb{R}^3\backslash \lbrace0\rbrace$ are nothing but the family of TT-tensors originally written down by Bowen and York.Comment: 12 pages, Contribution to CQG Special Issue "A Spacetime Safari: Essays in Honour of Vincent Moncrief