Improved constrained scheme for the Einstein equations: An approach to the uniqueness issue

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new reformulation of the elliptic sector in constrained Einstein equations that overcomes local uniqueness issues, validated through numerical simulations and extended to the fully constrained formulation.

Contribution

A novel reformulation of the elliptic equations in the constrained Einstein formulation that ensures uniqueness and improves the physical reliability of numerical solutions.

Findings

The new formulation overcomes local uniqueness problems.

Numerical simulations confirm the correct behavior of the reformulation.

Extensions to the fully constrained formulation demonstrate broader applicability.

Abstract

Uniqueness problems in the elliptic sector of constrained formulations of Einstein equations have a dramatic effect on the physical validity of some numerical solutions, for instance when calculating the spacetime of very compact stars or nascent black holes. The fully constrained formulation (FCF) proposed by Bonazzola, Gourgoulhon, Grandcl\'ement, and Novak is one of these formulations. It contains, as a particular case, the approximation of the conformal flatness condition (CFC) which, in the last ten years, has been used in many astrophysical applications. The elliptic part of the FCF basically shares the same differential operators as the elliptic equations in CFC scheme. We present here a reformulation of the elliptic sector of CFC that has the fundamental property of overcoming the local uniqueness problems. The correct behavior of our new formulation is confirmed by means of a battery of numerical simulations. Finally, we extend these ideas to FCF, complementing the mathematical analysis carried out in previous studies.