Room P3.10, Mathematics Building

Moritz Reintjes, Instituto Superior Técnico
Optimal metric regularity in General Relativity follows from the RT-equations by elliptic regularity theory

I am going to present Blake Temple's and my recent breakthrough regarding optimal metric regularity: We recently derived a set of nonlinear elliptic equations, with differential forms as unknowns, (the "Regularity Transformation equations" or "RT-equations"), and proved existence of solutions. The RT-equations determine whether optimal metric regularity can be achieved in General Relativity. Our existence result applies to connections in and Riemann curvature in $W^{m,p}$, $m\geq1$, $p>n$, and thus yields that such connections can always be smoothed to optimal regularity (one derivative above their curvature) by coordinate transformation. Extending this existence theory to the case of GR shock waves, when the connection is in $L^{\infty}$, is subject of our ongoing research. Our current existence result demonstrates that the method of determining optimal metric regularity by the RT-equations works.