Poisson's Equation

Jan 1, 2021 · 1 min read

Summary

This lecture considers Poisson’s equation

$$ -\Delta u = f\quad \text{in}~ \mathbb{R}^n, $$

where $f\colon \mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}$ is a given function. We cover some essential identities and theorems from calculus such as Gauss’ (Divergence) Theorem and Green’s identities. We prove the following. Let

$$ u(x):= \int\limits_{\mathbb{R}^n} \Phi(x-y) f(y)\\,\mathrm{d}y, $$

where $\Phi$ is the fundamental solution of Laplace’s equation constructed in Lecture 3 and $f\in C^2_\mathrm{c}(\mathbb{R}^n)$. Then

  1. $u\in C^2(\mathbb{R}^n)$.

  2. $-\Delta u = f$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$

Full Set of Lecture Notes

The notes for this lecture are available here (21 pages).