Existence and stability of circular orbits in static and axisymmetric spacetimes

The existence and stability of timelike and null circular orbits (COs) in the equatorial plane of general static and axisymmetric (SAS) spacetime are investigated in this work. Using the fixed point approach, we first obtained a necessary and sufficient condition for the non-existence of timelike COs. It is then proven that there will always exist timelike COs at large \(\rho \) in an asymptotically flat SAS spacetime with a positive ADM mass and moreover, these timelike COs are stable. Some other sufficient conditions on the stability of timelike COs are also solved. We then found the necessary and sufficient condition on the existence of null COs. It is generally shown that the existence of timelike COs in SAS spacetime does not imply the existence of null COs, and vice-versa, regardless whether the spacetime is asymptotically flat or the ADM mass is positive or not. These results are then used to show the existence of timelike COs and their stability in an SAS Einstein-Yang-Mills-Dilaton spacetimes whose metric is not completely known. We also used the theorems to deduce the existence of timelike and null COs in some known SAS spacetimes.     

Global hyperbolicity and completeness

We prove global hyperbolicity of spacetimes under generic regularity conditions on the metric. We then show that these spacetimes are timelike and null geodesically complete if the gradient of the lapse and the extrinsic curvature K are integrable. This last condition is required only for the tracefree part of K if the universe is expanding.     

Spacelike metric foliations

In this paper, we investigate spacelike metric foliations in lightlike complete spacetimes. When such a foliation satisfies the strong energy condition Ric^V (e) ≥ 0 for timelike vectors e, it must be totally geodesic, and the metric is of higher rank, in the sense that each point of the spacetime is contained inside a flat, totally geodesic, timelike rectangle. If in addition Ric^V(e) = 0, then the metric is (at least locally) a product metric, with the leaves of the foliation tangent to one of the factors.     

Universal time delay in static spherically symmetric spacetimes for null and timelike signals

A perturbative method of computing the total travel time of both null and lightlike rays in arbitrary static spherically symmetric spacetimes in the weak field limit is proposed.The resultant total time takes a quasi-series form of the impact parameter.The coefficient of this series at a certain order n is shown to be determined by the asymptotic expansion of the metric functions to the order n+1.For the leading order(s),the time delay,as well as the difference between the time delays of two types of relativistic signals,is shown to take a universal form for all SSS spacetimes.This universal form depends on the mass M and a post-Newtonian parameter y of the spacetime.The analytical result is numerically verified using the central black hole of galaxy M87 as the gravitational lensing center.     

Inflationary spacetimes are incomplete in past directions

Many inflating spacetimes are likely to violate the weak energy condition, a key assumption of singularity theorems. Here we offer a simple kinematical argument, requiring no energy condition, that a cosmological model which is inflating--or just expanding sufficiently fast--must be incomplete in null and timelike past directions. Specifically, we obtain a bound on the integral of the Hubble parameter over a past-directed timelike or null geodesic. Thus inflationary models require physics other than inflation to describe the past boundary of the inflating region of spacetime.     

Geometric analysis of particular compactly constructed time machine spacetimes

We formulate the concept of time machine structure for spacetimes exhibiting a compactly constructed region with closed timelike curves. After reviewing essential properties of the pseudo Schwarzschild spacetime introduced by Ori, we present an analysis of its geodesics analogous to the one conducted in the case of the Schwarzschild spacetime. We conclude that the pseudo Schwarzschild spacetime is geodesically incomplete and not extendible to a complete spacetime. We then introduce a rotating generalization of the pseudo Schwarzschild metric, which we call the pseudo Kerr spacetime. We establish its time machine structure and analyze its global properties.     

Horizons and singularities in static,spherically symmetric spacetimes

We make a thorough study of the regions near finite-order metric-singularity boundaries of static, spherically symmetric spacetimes. After distinguishing curvature singularities from other types of metric breakdown, we examine the eigenvalues of the energy tensor near the singularities for positivity and energy dominance, find the causal class of the t-translation (static) Killing field, and ascertain the presence or absence of timelike, null, and spacelike geodesic incompleteness for each spacetime. For a certain subclass of spacetimes, we also show the completeness of all timelike and spacelike curves despite the superficial failure of the metric.     

Spinning Strings,Black Holes and Stable Closed Timelike Geodesics

The existence and stability under linear perturbation of closed timelike curves in the spacetime associated to Schwarzschild black hole pierced by a spinning string are studied. Due to the superposition of the black hole, we find that the spinning string spacetime is deformed in such a way to allow the existence of closed timelike geodesics.     

A simple characterization of generalized Robertson–Walker spacetimes

A generalized Robertson–Walker spacetime is the warped product with base an open interval of the real line endowed with the opposite of its metric and base any Riemannian manifold. The family of generalized Robertson–Walker spacetimes widely extends the one of classical Robertson–Walker spacetimes. Further, generalized Robertson–Walker spacetimes appear as a privileged class of inhomogeneous spacetimes admitting an isotropic radiation. In this section we prove a very simple characterization of generalized Robertson–Walker spacetimes; namely, a Lorentzian manifold is a generalized Robertson–Walker spacetime if and only if it admits a timelike concircular vector field.     

On causality violation on a Kerr-de Sitter spacetime

The causal properties of the family of Kerr-de Sitter spacetimes are analyzed and compared to those of the Kerr family. First, an inextendible Kerr-de Sitter spacetime is obtained by joining together Carter’s blocks, i.e. suitable four dimensional spacetime regions contained within Killing horizons or within a Killing horizon and an asymptotic de Sitter region. Based on this property, and leaving aside topological identifications, we show that the causal properties of a Kerr-de Sitter spacetime are determined by the causal properties of the individual Carter’s blocks viewed as spacetimes in their own right. We show that any Carter’s block is stably causal except for the blocks that contain the ring singularity. The latter are vicious sets, i.e. any two events within such block can be connected by a future (respectively past) directed timelike curve. This behavior is identical to the causal behavior of the Boyer–Lindquist blocks that contain the Kerr ring singularity. These blocks are also vicious as demonstrated long ago by Carter. On the other hand, while for the case of a naked Kerr singularity the entire spacetime is vicious and thus closed timelike curves pass through any event including events in the asymptotic region, for the case of a Kerr-de Sitter spacetime the cosmological horizons protect the asymptotic de Sitter region from a-causal influences. In that regard, a positive cosmological constant appears to improve the causal behavior of the underlying spacetime.     

Concircular Curvature Tensor and Fluid Spacetimes

In the differential geometry of certain F-structures, the importance of concircular curvature tensor is very well known. The relativistic significance of this tensor has been explored here. The spacetimes satisfying Einstein field equations and with vanishing concircular curvature tensor are considered and the existence of Killing and conformal Killing vectors have been established for such spacetimes. Perfect fluid spacetimes with vanishing concircular curvature tensor have also been considered. The divergence of concircular curvature tensor is studied in detail and it is seen, among other results, that if the divergence of the concircular tensor is zero and the Ricci tensor is of Codazzi type then the resulting spacetime is of constant curvature. For a perfect fluid spacetime to possess divergence-free concircular curvature tensor, a necessary and sufficient condition has been obtained in terms of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker model.     

Interior of a Schwarzschild Black Hole Revisited

The Schwarzschild solution has played a fundamental conceptual role in general relativity, and beyond, for instance, regarding event horizons, spacetime singularities and aspects of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes. However, one still encounters the existence of misconceptions and a certain ambiguity inherent in the Schwarzschild solution in the literature. By taking into account the point of view of an observer in the interior of the event horizon, one verifies that new conceptual difficulties arise. In this work, besides providing a very brief pedagogical review, we further analyze the interior Schwarzschild black hole solution. Firstly, by deducing the interior metric by considering time-dependent metric coefficients, the interior region is analyzed without the prejudices inherited from the exterior geometry. We also pay close attention to several respective cosmological interpretations, and briefly address some of the difficulties associated to spacetime singularities. Secondly, we deduce the conserved quantities of null and timelike geodesics, and discuss several particular cases in some detail. Thirdly, we examine the Eddington–Finkelstein and Kruskal coordinates directly from the interior solution. In concluding, it is important to emphasize that the interior structure of realistic black holes has not been satisfactorily determined, and is still open to considerable debate.     

Cosmological black holes: A black hole in the Einstein-de Sitter universe

As an example of a dynamical cosmological black hole, a spacetime that describes an expanding black hole in the asymptotic background of the Einstein-de Sitter universe is constructed. The black hole is primordial in the sense that it forms ab initio with the big bang singularity and its expanding event horizon is represented by a conformal Killing horizon. The metric representing the black hole spacetime is obtained by applying a time dependent conformal transformation on the Schwarzschild metric, such that the result is an exact solution with a matter content described by a two-fluid source. Physical quantities such as the surface gravity and other effects like perihelion precession, light bending and circular orbits are studied in this spacetime and compared to their counterparts in the gravitational field of the isolated Schwarzschild black hole. No changes in the structure of null geodesics are recorded, but significant differences are obtained for timelike geodesics, particularly an increase in the perihelion precession and the non-existence of circular timelike orbits. The solution is expressed in the Newman-Penrose formalism.     

Detecting the classical harmonic vibrations of micro amplitudes and low frequencies with an atomic Mach–Zehnder interferometer

Here we present an example of an axially symmetric spacetime, representing pure radiation, and admitting circular closed timelike curves (CTCs) on the $z= \hbox {constant plane}$ . The spacetime is regular everywhere, having no curvature singularities and is locally isometric to (non-vacuum) pp wave spacetimes. The stability of the CTCs under linear perturbations is studied and they are found to be stable from a calculation of the Lyapunov exponent for the deviation vector. We also demonstrate that the spacetime also admits non-circular CTCs which do not lie in this plane. A modification of the metric is also studied and we find that a region of this spacetime behaves like a time-machine where CTCs appear after a certain instant of time.     

Particle Motion and Perturbed Dynamical System in Warped Product Spacetimes

In this paper we have used the dynamical systems analysis to study the dynamics of a five-dimensional universe in the form of a warped product spacetime with a spacelike dynamic extra dimension. We have decomposed the geodesic equations to get the motion along the extra dimension and have studied the associated dynamical system when the cross-diagonal element of the Einstein tensor vanishes, and also when it is non-vanishing. Introducing the concept of an energy function along the phase path in terms of the extra-dimensional coordinate, we have examined how the energy function depends on the warp factor. The energy function serves as a measure of the amount of perturbation of geodesic paths along the extra dimension in the region close to the brane. Then we studied the geodesic motion under a conventional metric perturbation in the form of homothetic motion and conformal motion and examined the nature of critical points for a Mashhoon-Wesson-type metric, for timelike and null geodesics when the cross-diagonal term of the Einstein tensor vanishes. Finally we investigated the motion for null and timelike geodesics under the condition when the cross-diagonal element of the Einstein tensor is non-vanishing and examined the effects of perturbation on the critical points of the dynamical system.     

Rigidity in vacuum under conformal symmetry

Motivated in part by Eardley et al. (Commun Math Phys 106(1):137–158, 1986), in this note we obtain a rigidity result for globally hyperbolic vacuum spacetimes in arbitrary dimension that admit a timelike conformal Killing vector field. Specifically, we show that if M is a Ricci flat, timelike geodesically complete spacetime with compact Cauchy surfaces that admits a timelike conformal Killing field X, then M must split as a metric product, and X must be Killing. This gives a partial proof of the Bartnik splitting conjecture in the vacuum setting.     

Spherically symmetric, self-similar spacetimes

In this paper, we show that self-similarity with respect to the existence of a (purely radial) homothetic Killing vector field for spherically symmetric spacetimes implies the separability of the spacetime metric in terms of the co-moving coordinates (and vice versa) and that the metric is, uniquely, the one recently reported in (Class. Quantam Grav. 18: 2147–2162; 2001). This spacetime, in general, has non-vanishing energy flux and shear. An interesting feature of this spacetime, in contrast to other self-similar spherically symmetric spacetimes (not reducible to our form) is that it has an arbitrary radial distribution of matter.     

Causal structure and algebraic classification of non-dissipative linear optical media

In crystal optics and quantum electrodynamics in gravitational vacua, the propagation of light is not described by a metric, but an area metric geometry. In this article, this prompts us to study conditions for linear electrodynamics on area metric manifolds to be well-posed. This includes an identification of the timelike future cones and their duals associated to an area metric geometry, and thus paves the ground for a discussion of the related local and global causal structures in standard fashion. In order to provide simple algebraic criteria for an area metric manifold to present a consistent spacetime structure, we develop a complete algebraic classification of area metric tensors up to general transformations of frame. This classification, valuable in its own right, is then employed to prove a theorem excluding the majority of algebraic classes of area metrics as viable spacetimes. Physically, these results classify and drastically restrict the viable constitutive tensors of non-dissipative linear optical media.     

Positive mass from holographic causality

For (n+1)-dimensional asymptotically anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetimes which have holographic duals on their n-dimensional conformal boundaries, we show that the imposition of causality on the boundary theory is sufficient to prove positivity of mass for the spacetime when n> or =3, without the assumption of any local energy condition. We make crucial use of a time-delay formula relating the Ashtekar-Magnon mass of the spacetime to the time delay of a bulk null curve relative to that of a boundary null geodesic. We also discuss holographic causality for the negative mass AdS soliton and its implications for the positive energy conjecture of Horowitz and Myers.