Bel-Robinson energy and constant mean curvature foliations (Q1889870)

Let \((\overline M,\overline g)\) be a \(3 + 1\)-dimensional \(C^\infty\) maximal globally hyperbolic vacuum (MGHV) space-time, which is spatially compact, i.e., \(\overline M\) has compact Cauchy surfaces. One of the main conjectures (the CMC conjecture) concerning spatially compact MGHV spacetimes states that if there is a constant mean curvature (CMC) Cauchy surface \(M_0\), in such a spacetime \(\overline M\), then there is a foliation in \(\overline M\) of CMC Cauchy surfaces with mean curvatures taking on all geometrically allowed values. One approach to the CMC conjecture is to view it as a statement about the global existence problem for the Einstein vacuum field equations (EFE) \(\overline R_{\alpha\beta} = 0\), in the CMC time gauge. From this point of view it is interesting to consider continuation principles for the (EFE), in CMC gauge. In this note, the author uses a scaling argument to prove an energy estimate for CMC foliations. The considered energy is a version of the Bel-Robinson energy. For a spatial hypersurface \(M\) in \(\overline M\), the energy expression is defined by \(\mathcal Q(M)=\int_M(| E| ^2+| B| ^2)\,\mu_g,\) where \(E\), \(B\) are the electric and magnetic parts of the Weyl tensor (defined w.r.t. the timelike normal \(T\) of \(M\)). Roughly speaking, \(\mathcal Q\) bounds Cauchy data \((g,K)\) on \(M\) in \(H^2\times H^1\). Here, \(g\) is the induced metric on \(M\) and \(K\) is the second fundamental form of \(M\). Therefore, if the \(H^2\) conjecture is true, apriori bounds for the Bel-Robinson energy can be expected to be relevant to the global existence problem for the (EFE). Let \(H =\text{tr}\,K\) denote the mean curvature, and assume the CMC gauge condition \(H =t\). Define the spacetime Bel-Robinson energy of a CMC foliation \(\mathcal F\{M_t,t\in I\}\) by \(\mathcal Q(\mathcal F_I)=\int_I\int_{M_t}N(| E| ^2+| B| ^2)\,\mu_g,\) where \(N\) is the lapse function. The main result of the paper is as follows: Let \((\overline M,\overline g)\) be a MGHV space-time, and let \(I = (t_-,t_+)\) with \(-\infty <t_- < t_+ < 0\), be such that there is a CMC foliation \(F_I\) in \((\overline M,\overline g)\). Let \(t_0 \in I\). Suppose that \(\lim\,\sup_{t\to t_+}\mathcal Q(t) = \infty\). Then at least one of the following holds: \(\lim\,\sup_{t\nearrow t_+}\mathcal Q(\mathcal F_{[t_0,t)}) = \infty\), \(\lim\,\sup_{t\nearrow t_+}\| K(t)\|_{L^\infty}/| H(t)| = \infty\). The time reversed statement with \(t_+\) replaced by \(t_-\) also holds.