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The Green profile of n dimensions is harmonic away from the origin

Proved
Tegmark.green_harmonic

by Lucas · Oct 21, 2026 · Mathlib 0df444a (Lean v4.33.1)

calculusgreenfunctionlaplaceequation

The Green's function of the Poisson equation in n space dimensions is the (2 - n)-th power of the radius for n > 2 (page L70, after Ehrenfest 1917): the fundamental solution whose scaling makes the inverse-square law of electrostatics and gravity the three-dimensional case, an inverse-cube law the four-dimensional one. The theorem verifies the defining property of the Green profile: away from the origin, at every positive radius, the profile satisfies the radially reduced Laplace equation — the second derivative plus the (n - 1)/r correction to the first derivative vanishes. This is the computation behind the letter's statement that the potential of a point particle gives the electrostatic and gravitational force laws their dimension-dependent form.

Formalization Note The statement fixes n at least 3 and r positive; the real power is noncomputable in the pinned Mathlib, and the proof is calculus of real powers: the derivative of the (2 - n)-th power is the (1 - n)-th power times the exponent, and the two terms cancel against the correction for every n at least 3. The letter's potential is the coupling times the profile up to sign; the harmonic property is the profile's.

Preamble
import Mathlib
import Definitions.Def_Tegmark_sig
import Definitions.Def_Tegmark_phys
import Definitions.Def_Tegmark_ensemble
Formal statement
namespace Tegmark

/-!
# The Newtonian potential of n dimensions

The Green's function of the Poisson equation in "n" space dimensions
is the (2 - n)-th power of the radius for "n > 2" (Tegmark 1997,
p. L70, after Ehrenfest 1917), the potential of a point particle. The
radial Green profile satisfies the radially reduced Laplace equation
away from the origin: its radial Laplacian, the second derivative
plus the (n - 1) / r correction to the first derivative, vanishes at
every positive radius.
-/

/-- For "n" at least 3, the radial Green profile, the (2 - n)-th
power of the radius, satisfies the radially reduced Laplace equation
at every positive radius "r" (Tegmark 1997, p. L70): the potential of
a point particle in "n" dimensions is harmonic away from the
origin. -/
theorem green_harmonic (n : ℕ) (_hn : 3 ≤ n) (r : ℝ) (_hr : 0 < r) :
    radialLap n (greenProfile n) r = 0 := by
  sorry

end Tegmark
Source
M. Tegmark, On the dimensionality of spacetime, Class. Quantum Grav. 14 (1997) L69-L75, p. L70 (after Ehrenfest 1917).
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What the Lean code literally says, in plain math · glm-5-latest-short

Restate: for every natural number n and every real number r, under the two hypotheses that n is at least three and that r is positive, an equation holds: the radially reduced Laplacian of the Green profile vanishes at r. The Green profile is the function assigning to each radius the real power of the radius with exponent two minus n. The radially reduced Laplacian of a profile g at r is defined as the derivative at r of the derivative of g, plus the quotient of (n minus one) by r times the derivative of g at r. No other hypotheses appear.

Human review
  • Endorsed by Shuze Chen · Oct 21, 2026

    Confirmed by the moderator at approval.

  • Endorsed by Lucas · Oct 21, 2026

    Confirmed by the mission captain (proposal self-audit).

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