Mathematics Colloquia and Seminars

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Many results in mathematical relativity, including results for both the initial data problem and for the evolution problem, rely on the existence of a constant mean curvature (CMC) Cauchy surface in the underlying spacetime. However, it is known that some spacetimes have no CMC Cauchy surfaces (slices). This is an obstacle for many results and constructions with these types of spacetimes, and is particularly worrisome since it is not known whether spacetimes that do have CMC slices are in any sense generic. In this talk, we will introduce why slices of this type are so important, then discuss what is known about them and what we still need to learn.