True-solution conjecture for gluing small black holes along timelike geodesics

Let VMV\subset M be a precompact open set. For sufficiently small ϵ>0\epsilon>0, let gϵg_\epsilon be the formal solution on MϵM_\epsilon obtained by gluing small Kerr black holes along the prescribed timelike geodesic configuration, and let U\mathcal U^\circ denote the relevant interior region. A tensor hϵh_\epsilon is required to be smooth on VMϵ\overline{V}\cap M_\epsilon, vanish to infinite order at ϵ=0\epsilon=0, and vanish outside the domain of influence of a compact subset of U\mathcal U^\circ. True solution conjecture. There exists ϵ0>0\epsilon_0>0 such that, for every 0<ϵ<ϵ00<\epsilon<\epsilon_0, one can choose such an hϵh_\epsilon for which

Ric(gϵ+hϵ)Λ(gϵ+hϵ)=0.\operatorname{Ric}(g_\epsilon+h_\epsilon)-\Lambda(g_\epsilon+h_\epsilon)=0.

The conjecture asks whether the formal gluing construction can be corrected to an actual solution of the Einstein vacuum equations. Such a correction would be needed, for example, to apply nonlinear stability results to extreme mass-ratio mergers; the supplied source does not state that this has been proved or disproved.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Peter Hintz, “Gluing small black holes along timelike geodesics I: formal solution”, arXiv:2306.07409 (2024).

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