  We investigate the possibility that the conformal and conformal thin sandwich
(CTS) methods can be used to parameterize the set of solutions of the vacuum
Einstein constraint equations. To this end we develop a model problem obtained
by taking the quotient of certain symmetric data on conformally flat tori.
Specializing the model problem to a three-parameter family of conformal data we
observe a number of new phenomena for the conformal and CTS methods. Within
this family, we obtain a general existence theorem so long as the mean
curvature does not change sign. When the mean curvature changes sign, we find
that for certain data solutions exist if and only if the transverse-traceless
tensor is sufficiently small. When such solutions exist, there are generically
more than one. Moreover, the theory for mean curvatures changing sign is shown
to be extremely sensitive with respect to the value of a coupling constant in
the Einstein constraint equations.
