On the Construction of Global Models Describing Rotating Bodies; Uniqueness of the Exterior Gravitational Field

The problem of constructing global models describing isolated axially symmetric rotating bodies in equilibrium is analyzed. It is claimed that, whenever the global spacetime is constructed by giving boundary data on the limiting surface of the body and integrating Einstein’s equations both inside and ouside the body, the problem becomes overdetermined. Similarly, when the spacetime describing the interior of the body is explicitly given, the problem of finding the exterior vacuum solution becomes overdetermined. We discuss in detail the procedure to be followed in order to construct the exterior vacuum field created by a given but arbitrary distribution of matter. Finally, the uniqueness of the exterior vacuum gravitational field is proven by exploiting the harmonic map formulation of the vacuum equations and the boundary conditions prescribed from the matching. The description and analysis of isolated rotating objects in equilibrium is a fundamental problem in general relativity. Unfortunately, despite important efforts in that direction, our present understanding of the question is still very incomplete. In particular, not a single model describing both the interior and the exterior of a selfgravitating, spatially compact, rotating object is explicitly known. There are, however, very interesting solutions which describe the exterior field of a physical object. We are referring to the solution for the rotating disc of dust recently found by Neugebauer ∗Also at Laboratori de F́ısica Matemàtica, Societat Catalana de F́ısica, IEC, Barcelona.