ADM mass for $C^0$ metrics and distortion under Ricci-DeTurck flow

Abstract

We show that there exists a quantity, depending only on $C^0$ data of a Riemannian metric, that agrees with the usual ADM mass at infinity whenever the ADM mass exists, but has a well-defined limit at infinity for any continuous Riemannian metric that is asymptotically flat in the $C^0$ sense and has nonnegative scalar curvature in the sense of Ricci flow. Moreover, the $C^0$ mass at infinity is independent of choice of $C^0$-asymptotically flat coordinate chart, and the $C^0$ local mass has controlled distortion under Ricci-DeTurck flow when coupled with a suitably evolving test function.