Why is asymptotic flatness a good assumption for solving Einstein's field equations? Intuitively it makes sense to me but I am looking for a formal justification. (By asymptotic flatness I mean that the metric is Minkowskian at large distances.)
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It is impossible to solve EFE completely: we are seeking a solution, not all solutions.
Also, we want a special solution satisfying the following: the gravitational effects of a star/black hole/etc. have be negligible at huge distances, because the effects of distant attractors doesn't play a major role in our life (indeed, experimentalists put major effort into discovering these objects).
In mathematical language this requirement is exactly asymptotic flatness.
Prof. Legolasov
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