Asymptotics with a positive cosmological constant. IV. The no-incoming radiation condition

Consider compact objects-such as neutron star or black hole binaries-in full, nonlinear general relativity. In the case with zero cosmological constant., the gravitational radiation emitted by such systems is described by the well established, 50+ year old framework due to Bondi, Sachs, Penrose and others. However, so far we do not have a satisfactory extension of this framework to include a positive cosmological constant-or, more generally, the dark energy responsible for the accelerated expansion of the universe. In particular, we do not yet have an adequate gauge invariant characterization of gravitational waves in this context. As the next step in extending the Bondi et al. framework to the Lambda > 0 case, in this paper we address the following questions: How do we impose the no-incoming radiation condition for such isolated systems in a gauge invariant manner? What is the relevant past boundary where these conditions should be imposed, i.e., what is the physically relevant analog of past null infinity I-o(-) used in the Lambda = 0 case? What is the symmetry group at this boundary? How is it related to the Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) group? What are the associated conserved charges? What happens in the Lambda -> 0 limit? Do we systematically recover the Bondi-Sachs-Penrose structure at I-o(-) of the Lambda = 0 theory, or do some differences persist even in the limit? We will find that while there are many close similarities, there are also some subtle but important differences from the asymptotically flat case. Interestingly, to analyze these issues one has to combine conceptual structures and mathematical techniques introduced by Bondi et al. with those associated with quasilocal horizons. The framework introduced in this paper will serve as the point of departure in the construction of the analog(s) of future null infinity, I-o(+) where the radiation emitted by isolated systems can be analyzed systematically.