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Igor Rodnianski

Publications and source records attributed to Igor Rodnianski.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2011

Boltzmann limit for a homogenous Fermi gas with dynamical Hartree-Fock interactions in a random medium

We study the dynamics of the thermal momentum distribution function for an interacting, homogenous Fermi gas on $\Z^3$ in the presence of an external weak static random potential, where the pair interactions between the fermions are modeled in dynamical Hartree-Fock theory. We determine the Boltzmann limits associated to different scaling regimes defined by the size of the random potential, and the strength of the fermion interactions.

math-ph↗
arXiv2010

Decay for solutions of the wave equation on Kerr exterior spacetimes I-II: The cases |a| << M or axisymmetry

This paper contains the first two parts (I-II) of a three-part series concerning the scalar wave equation \Box_gψ = 0 on a fixed Kerr background. We here restrict to two cases: (II1) |a| \ll M, general ψ or (II2) |a| < M, ψ axisymmetric. In either case, we prove a version of 'integrated local energy decay', specifically, that the 4-integral of an energy-type density (degenerating in a neighborhood of the Schwarzschild photon sphere and at infinity), integrated over the domain of dependence of a spacelike hypersurface Σ connecting the future event horizon with spacelike infinity or a sphere on null infinity, is bounded by a natural (non-degenerate) energy flux of ψ through Σ. (The case (II1) has in fact been treated previously in our Clay Lecture notes: Lectures on black holes and linear waves, arXiv:0811.0354.) In our forthcoming Part III, the restriction to axisymmetry for the general |a| < M case is removed. The complete proof is surveyed in our companion paper The black hole stability problem for linear scalar perturbations, which includes the essential details of our forthcoming Part III. Together with previous work (see our: A new physical-space approach to decay for the wave equation with applications to black hole spacetimes, in XVIth International Congress on Mathematical Physics, Pavel Exner ed., Prague 2009 pp. 421-433, 2009, arxiv:0910.4957), this result leads, under suitable assumptions on initial data of ψ, to polynomial decay bounds for the energy flux of ψ through the foliation of the black hole exterior defined by the time translates of a spacelike hypersurface Σ terminating on null infinity, as well as to pointwise decay estimates, of a definitive form useful for nonlinear applications.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2010

The Stability of the Irrotational Euler-Einstein System with a Positive Cosmological Constant

In this article, we study small perturbations of the family of Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker cosmological background solutions to the Euler-Einstein system with a positive cosmological constant in 1 + 3 dimensions. The background solutions describe an initially uniform quiet fluid of positive energy density evolving in a spacetime undergoing accelerated expansion. We show that under the equation of state p = c_s^2*(energy density), 0 < c_s^2 < 1/3, the background solutions are globally future asymptotically stable under small irrotational perturbations. In particular, we prove that the perturbed spacetimes, which have the topological structure [0,infinity) x T^3, are future causally geodesically complete.

math-ph↗
arXiv2010

The global stability of the Minkowski space-time in harmonic gauge

We give a new proof of the global stability of Minkowski space originally established in the vacuum case by Christodoulou and Klainerman. The new approach shows that the Einstein-vacuum and the Einstein-scalar field equations with general asymptotically flat initial data satisfying a global smallness condition produce global (causally geodesically complete) solutions asymptotically convergent to the Minkowski space-time. The proof utilizes the classical harmonic (also known as de Donder or wave coordinate) gauge.

math.AP↗
arXiv2009

A new physical-space approach to decay for the wave equation with applications to black hole spacetimes

We present a new general method for proving global decay of energy through a suitable spacetime foliation, as well as pointwise decay, starting from an integrated local energy decay estimate. The method is quite robust, requiring only physical space techniques, and circumvents use of multipliers or commutators with weights growing in t. In particular, the method applies to a wide class of perturbations of Minkowski space as well as to Schwarzschild and Kerr black hole exteriors.

math.AP↗
arXiv2008

Lectures on black holes and linear waves

These lecture notes, based on a course given at the Zurich Clay Summer School (June 23-July 18, 2008), review our current mathematical understanding of the global behaviour of waves on black hole exterior backgrounds. Interest in this problem stems from its relationship to the non-linear stability of the black hole spacetimes themselves as solutions to the Einstein equations, one of the central open problems of general relativity. After an introductory discussion of the Schwarzschild geometry and the black hole concept, the classical theorem of Kay and Wald on the boundedness of scalar waves on the exterior region of Schwarzschild is reviewed. The original proof is presented, followed by a new more robust proof of a stronger boundedness statement. The problem of decay of scalar waves on Schwarzschild is then addressed, and a theorem proving quantitative decay is stated and its proof sketched. This decay statement is carefully contrasted with the type of statements derived heuristically in the physics literature for the asymptotic tails of individual spherical harmonics. Following this, our recent proof of the boundedness of solutions to the wave equation on axisymmetric stationary backgrounds (including slowly-rotating Kerr and Kerr-Newman) is reviewed and a new decay result for slowly-rotating Kerr spacetimes is stated and proved. This last result was announced at the summer school and appears in print here for the first time. A discussion of the analogue of these problems for spacetimes with a positive cosmological constant follows. Finally, a general framework is given for capturing the red-shift effect for non-extremal black holes. This unifies and extends some of the analysis of the previous sections. The notes end with a collection of open problems.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2008

On the Formation of Singularities in the Critical O(3) Sigma-Model

We study the phenomena of energy concentration for the critical O(3) sigma model, also known as the wave map flow from R^{2+1} Minkowski space into the sphere S^2. We establish rigorously and constructively existence of a set of smooth initial data resulting in a dynamic finite time formation of singularities. The construction and analysis is done in the context of the k-equivariant symmetry reduction, and we restrict to maps with homotopy class k>3. The concentration mechanism we uncover is essentially due to a resonant self-focusing (shrinking) of a corresponding harmonic map. We show that the phenomenon is generic (e.g. in certain Sobolev spaces) and persists under small perturbations of initial data, while the resulting blowup is bounded by a log-modified self-similar asymptotic.

math.AP↗
arXiv2008

A proof of the uniform boundedness of solutions to the wave equation on slowly rotating Kerr backgrounds

We consider Kerr spacetimes with parameters a and M such that |a|<< M, Kerr-Newman spacetimes with parameters |Q|<< M, |a|<< M, and more generally, stationary axisymmetric black hole exterior spacetimes which are sufficiently close to a Schwarzschild metric with parameter M>0, with appropriate geometric assumptions on the plane spanned by the Killing fields. We show uniform boundedness on the exterior for sufficiently regular solutions to the scalar homogeneous wave equation. In particular, the bound holds up to and including the event horizon. No unphysical restrictions are imposed on the behaviour of the solution near the bifurcation surface of the event horizon. The pointwise estimate derives in fact from the uniform boundedness of a positive definite energy flux. Note that in view of the very general assumptions, the separability properties of the wave equation on the Kerr background are not used.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2007

Quantum Fluctuations and Rate of Convergence towards Mean Field Dynamics

The nonlinear Hartree equation describes the macroscopic dynamics of initially factorized N-boson states, in the limit of large N. In this paper we provide estimates on the rate of convergence of the microscopic quantum mechanical evolution towards the limiting Hartree dynamics. More precisely, we prove bounds on the difference between the one-particle density associated with the solution of the N-body Schroedinger equation and the orthogonal projection onto the solution of the Hartree equation.

math-ph↗
arXiv2007

A note on energy currents and decay for the wave equation on a Schwarzschild background

In recent work, we have proven uniform decay bounds for solutions of the wave equation $\Box_gϕ=0$ on a Schwarzschild exterior, in particular, the uniform pointwise estimate $|ϕ|\le Cv_+^{-1}$, which holds throughout the domain of outer communications, where $v$ is an advanced Eddington-Finkelstein coordinate, $v_+=\max\{v,1\}$, and $C$ is a constant depending on a Sobolev norm of initial data. A crucial estimate in the proof required a decomposition into spherical harmonics. We here give an alternative proof of this estimate not requiring such a decomposition.

math.AP↗
arXiv2007

The wave equation on Schwarzschild-de Sitter spacetimes

We consider solutions to the linear wave equation $\Box_gϕ=0$ on a non-extremal maximally extended Schwarzschild-de Sitter spacetime arising from arbitrary smooth initial data prescribed on an arbitrary Cauchy hypersurface. (In particular, no symmetry is assumed on initial data, and the support of the solutions may contain the sphere of bifurcation of the black/white hole horizons and the cosmological horizons.) We prove that in the region bounded by a set of black/white hole horizons and cosmological horizons, solutions $ϕ$ converge pointwise to a constant faster than any given polynomial rate, where the decay is measured with respect to natural future-directed advanced and retarded time coordinates. We also give such uniform decay bounds for the energy associated to the Killing field as well as for the energy measured by local observers crossing the event horizon. The results in particular include decay rates along the horizons themselves. Finally, we discuss the relation of these results to previous heuristic analysis of Price and Brady et al.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2007

Sharp $L^1$ estimates for singular transport equations

We provide $L^1$ estimates for a class of transport equations containing singular integral operators. While our main application is for a specific problem in General Relativity we believe that the phenomenon which our result illustrates is of a more general interest.

math.AP↗
arXiv2005

The red-shift effect and radiation decay on black hole spacetimes

We consider solutions to the linear wave equation on a (maximally extended) Schwarzschild spacetime, assuming only that the solution decays suitably at spatial infinity on a complete Cauchy hypersurface. (In particular, we allow the support of the solution to contain the bifurcate event horizon.) We prove uniform decay bounds for the solution in the exterior regions, including the uniform bound Cv_+^{-1}, where v_+ denotes max{v,1} and v denotes Eddington-Finkelstein advanced time. We also prove uniform decay bounds for the flux of energy through the event horizon and null infinity. The estimates near the event horizon exploit an integral energy identity normalized to local observers. This estimate can be thought to quantify the celebrated red-shift effect. The results in particular give an independent proof of the classical uniform boundedness theorem of Kay and Wald, without recourse to the discrete isometries of spacetime.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2005

Angular Regularity and Strichartz Estimates for the Wave Equation

We prove here essentially sharp linear and bilinear Strichartz type estimates for the wave equations on Minkowski space, where we assume the initial data possesses additional regularity with respect to fractional powers of the usual angular momentum operators. In this setting, the range of (q,r) exponents vastly improves over what is available for the wave equations based on translation invariant derivatives of the initial data and the dispersive inequality. Two proofs of this result are given.

math.AP↗
arXiv2005

Small-amplitude nonlinear waves on a black hole background

Let G(x) be a C^0 function such that |G(x)|\le K|x|^{p} for |x|\le c, for constants K,c>0. We consider spherically symmetric solutions of \Box_gϕ=G(ϕ) where g is a Schwarzschild or more generally a Reissner-Nordstrom metric, and such that ϕand \nabla ϕare compactly supported on a complete Cauchy surface. It is proven that for p> 4, such solutions do not blow up in the domain of outer communications, provided the initial data are small. Moreover, |ϕ|\le C(\max\{v,1\})^{-1}, where v denotes an Eddington-Finkelstein advanced time coordinate.

math.AP↗
arXiv2004

Long-time decay estimates for the Schrödinger equation on manifolds

In this paper we develop a quantitative version of Enss' method to establish global-in-time decay estimates for solutions to Schrödinger equations on manifolds. To simplify the exposition we shall only consider Hamiltonians of the form $H := - {1/2} Δ_M$, where $Δ_M$ is the Laplace-Beltrami operator on a manifold $M$ which is a smooth compact perturbation of three-dimensional Euclidean space $\R^3$ which obeys the non-trapping condition. We establish a global-in-time local smoothing estimate for the Schrödinger equation $u_t = -iHu$. The main novelty here is the global-in-time aspect of the estimates, which forces a more detailed analysis on the low and medium frequencies of the evolution than in the local-in-time theory. In particular, to handle the medium frequencies we require the RAGE theorem (which reflects the fact that $H$ has no embedded eigenvalues), together with a quantitative version of Enss' method decomposing the solution asymptotically into incoming and outgoing components, while to handle the low frequencies we need a Poincare-type inequality (which reflects the fact that $H$ has no eigenfunctions or resonances at zero).

math.AP↗
arXiv2004

A proof of Price's law for the collapse of a self-gravitating scalar field

A well-known open problem in general relativity, dating back to 1972, has been to prove Price's law for an appropriate model of gravitational collapse. This law postulates inverse-power decay rates for the gravitational radiation flux on the event horizon and null infinity with respect to appropriately normalized advanced and retarded time coordinates. It is intimately related both to astrophysical observations of black holes and to the fate of observers who dare cross the event horizon. In this paper, we prove a well-defined (upper bound) formulation of Price's law for the collapse of a self-gravitating scalar field with spherically symmetric initial data. We also allow the presence of an additional gravitationally coupled Maxwell field. Our results are obtained by a new mathematical technique for understanding the long-time behavior of large data solutions to the resulting coupled non-linear hyperbolic system of p.d.e.'s in 2 independent variables. The technique is based on the interaction of the conformal geometry, the celebrated red-shift effect, and local energy conservation; we feel it may be relevant for the problem of non-linear stability of the Kerr solution. When combined with previous work of the first author (gr-qc/0307013) concerning the internal structure of charged black holes, which assumed the validity of Price's law, our results can be applied to the strong cosmic censorship conjecture for the Einstein-Maxwell-real scalar field system with complete spacelike asymptotically flat spherically symmetric initial data. Under Christodoulou's C^0 formulation, the conjecture is proven to be false.

gr-qc↗