Explicit Riemannian manifolds with unexpectedly behaving center of mass

The (relativistic) center of mass of an asymptotically flat Riemannian manifold is often defined by certain surface integral expressions evaluated along a foliation of the manifold near infinity, e. g. by Arnowitt, Deser, and Misner (ADM). There are also what we call 'abstract' definitions of the center of mass in terms of a foliation near infinity itself, going back to the constant mean curvature (CMC-) foliation studied by Huisken and Yau; these give rise to surface integral expressions when equipped with suitable systems of coordinates. We discuss subtle asymptotic convergence issues regarding the ADM- and the coordinate expressions related to the CMC-center of mass. In particular, we give explicit examples demonstrating that both can diverge -- in a setting where Einstein's equation is satisfied. We also give explicit examples of the same asymptotic order of decay with prescribed mass and center of mass. We illustrate both phenomena by providing analogous examples in Newtonian gravity. Our examples conflict with some results in the literature.Comment: examples with prescribed mass and center of mass included; asymptotic decay described in more detail; references update

Uniqueness of photon spheres in electro-vacuum spacetimes

In a recent paper, the authors established the uniqueness of photon spheres in static vacuum asymptotically flat spacetimes by adapting Bunting and Masood-ul-Alam's proof of static vacuum black hole uniqueness. Here, we establish uniqueness of suitably defined sub-extremal photon spheres in static electro-vacuum asymptotically flat spacetimes by adapting the argument of Masood-ul-Alam. As a consequence of our result, we can rule out the existence of electrostatic configurations involving multiple "very compact" electrically charged bodies and sub-extremal black holes.Comment: 16 pages. This paper extends the photon sphere uniqueness result obtained in arXiv:1504.05804 from the vacuum to the electro-vacuum setting. While the general proof method is similar, a number of new nontrivial issues aris

A universal inequality between angular momentum and horizon area for axisymmetric and stationary black holes with surrounding matter

We prove that for sub-extremal axisymmetric and stationary black holes with arbitrary surrounding matter the inequality $8\pi|J|<A$ holds, where $J$ is the angular momentum and $A$ the horizon area of the black hole.Comment: 8 page

A flow approach to Bartnik's static metric extension conjecture in axisymmetry

We investigate Bartnik's static metric extension conjecture under the additional assumption of axisymmetry of both the given Bartnik data and the desired static extensions. To do so, we suggest a geometric flow approach, coupled to the Weyl-Papapetrou formalism for axisymmetric static solutions to the Einstein vacuum equations. The elliptic Weyl-Papapetrou system becomes a free boundary value problem in our approach. We study this new flow and the coupled flow--free boundary value problem numerically and find axisymmetric static extensions for axisymmetric Bartnik data in many situations, including near round spheres in spatial Schwarzschild of positive mass.Comment: 60 pages, 13 figures. Expanded Section 3.3 to address longtime existence and uniqueness of solutions to the linearised flow equations. To appear in Pure and Applied Mathematics Quarterly, special issue in honour of Robert Bartni

On the center of mass of asymptotically hyperbolic initial data sets

We define the (total) center of mass for suitably asymptotically hyperbolic time-slices of asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetimes in general relativity. We do so in analogy to the picture that has been consolidated for the (total) center of mass of suitably asymptotically Euclidean time-slices of asymptotically Minkowskian spacetimes (isolated systems). In particular, we unite -- an altered version of -- the approach based on Hamiltonian charges with an approach based on CMC-foliations near infinity. The newly defined center of mass transforms appropriately under changes of the asymptotic coordinates and evolves in the direction of an appropriately defined linear momentum under the Einstein evolution equations