A physical interpretation of Hubble’s law and the cosmological redshift from the perspective of a static observer

We derive explicit and exact expressions for the physical velocity of a free particle comoving with the Hubble flow as measured by a static observer, and for the frequency shift of light emitted by a comoving source and received, again, by a static observer. The expressions make it clear that an interpretation of the redshift as a kind of Doppler effect only makes sense when the distance between the observer and the source vanishes exactly.     

Orthonormal tetrad transport. II. Physical identification of the normals and curvatures of a time-like curve

A flat space-time time-like curve is considered from the point of view of an instantaneous comoving inertial observer. In the context of the ‘vierbein’ formalism a projection operator is introduced, able to project 3-vectors, belonging to the 3-space of the comoving observer, out of space-time 4-vectors. The motion of an accelerated particle relative to the comoving inertial frame is briefly reviewed by means of the projection technique, and the three space-like components of the Frenet-Serret tetrad are thus projected, and their motion relative to the comoving observer neatly stated. Finally, the physical identification of the normals and the curvatures obtains in terms of three-dimensional kinematics as seen by the instantaneous comoving observer.     

The Lemaître model and the generalisation of the cosmic mass

We consider the spherically symmetric metric with a comoving perfect fluid and non-zero pressure—the Lemaître metric—and present it in the form of a calculational algorithm. We use it to review the definition of mass, and to look at the apparent horizon relations on the observer’s past null cone. We show that the introduction of pressure makes it difficult to separate the mass from other physical parameters in an invariant way. Under the usual mass definition, the apparent horizon relation, that relates the diameter distance to the cosmic mass, remains the same as in the Lemaître–Tolman case.     

Relativistic Simultaneity and Causality

We analyzed two types of relativistic simultaneity associated to an observer: the spacelike simultaneity, given by Landau submanifolds, and the lightlike simultaneity given by past-pointing horismos submanifolds. We study some geometrical conditions to ensure that Landau submanifolds are spacelike and we prove that horismos submanifolds are always lightlike. Finally, we establish some conditions to guarantee the existence of foliations in the space-time whose leaves are these submanifolds of simultaneity generated by an observer. These foliation structure allows us to incorporate the simultaneity submanifolds for studying some dynamical systems, for instance free elementary massless particles.     

Space-time compactification/decompactification transitions via lightlike branes

We consider Einstein-Maxwell-Kalb-Ramond gravity-matter system in bulk space-time interacting self-consistently with two (widely separated) codimension-one electrically charged lightlike branes. The lightlike brane dynamics is explicitly given by manifestly reparametrization invariant world-volume actions in two equivalent dual to each other formulations (Polyakov-type and Nambu-Goto-type ones) proposed in our previous work. We find an explicit solution of the pertinent Einstein-Maxwell-Kalb-Ramond-lightlike-brane equations of motion describing a “two-throat” wormhole-like space-time consisting of a “left” compactified Bertotti-Robinson universe connected to a “middle” non-compact Reissner-Nordström- de-Sitter space-time region, which in turn is connected to another “right” compactified Bertotti-Robinson universe. Each of the lightlike branes automatically occupies one of the “throats”, so that they dynamically induce a sequence of spontaneous space-time compactification/decompactification transitions.     

Orthomodular lattice in relativistic non-quantum mechanics

In 1975–1980, W. Cegla and A. Z. Jadczyk studied the causality structure of space-time: two points of Minkowski space-timeM are causally independent iff they are different and spacelike or lightlike separated, and the measurable causally closed subsets ofM form an orthomodular lattice. We show that this lattice enables us to model, by a formalism close to the one of orthodox quantum mechanics, a definite experiment in relativistic non-quantum mechanics: the counting of identical point bodies by one or several radars in some particular regions of the space-time.     

Establishment of the Riemannian structure of space-time by classical means

Efforts at providing a physical-axiomatic foundation of the space-time structure of the general theory of relativity have led, when based on simple empirical facts about freely falling particles and light signals, in a satisfying manner only to a Weyl space-time. By adding postulates based on quantum theory, however, the usual pseudo-Riemannian space-time can be reached. We present a newclassical postulate which provides the same results. It is based upon the notion of the radar distance between freely falling particles and demands the approximate equality of the growth of the radar distance for particle pairs of equal, small initial velocities. We show that given this, a property results, as found in earlier work by the author, that distinguishes between Weyl and Lorentz space-times. The property refers to a special metric and decides whether its metric connection has the given free-fall worldlines as geodesics or not. It consists in the vanishing of the mixed spatiotemporal componentsg _i4 of this metric in suitable coordinates along the worldline of the freely falling observer, as the rest system of which the coordinates are constructed.     

Majorana,Pauling and the quantum theory of the chemical bond

Nonlocal electrodynamics is a formalism developed to include nonlocal effects in the measurement process in order to account for the impossibility of instantaneous measurement of physical fields. This theory modifies Maxwell's electrodynamics by eliminating the hypothesis of locality that assumes an accelerated observer simultaneously equivalent to a comoving inertial frame of reference. In this scenario, the transformation between an inertial and accelerated observer is generalized which affects the properties of physical fields. In particular, we analyze how an uniformly accelerated observer perceives a homogeneous and isotropic black body radiation. We show that all nonlocal effects are transient and most relevant in the first period of acceleration.     

Lightlike hypersurfaces of Lorentzian manifolds with distinguished screen

We first study the properties of the lightlike mean curvature on a lightlike hypersurface in a Lorentzian manifold. Then, we show the existence of a large class of lightlike hypersurfaces admitting a distinguished screen and study some of their properties. In particular, we find integrability conditions for distinguished screen distributions and give applications in a spacetime which obeys the null energy condition.     

Collapsing void in a spatially flat Robertson-Walker universe

We consider here a model of the spherical void (or its precursor) containing low density conducting fluid surrounded by a thick spherical shell of radiation embedded in a RobertsonWalker (RW) universe with flat space sections. The underdense region has a metric which is the special case of a solution given by Maiti [1] surrounded by Vaidya metric. We also assume the RW universe to be filled with a perfect fluid with a linear equation of state. The matching conditions indicate that if the time coordinate in each region is future directed then the underdense region appears to go on contracting to a comoving observer in the universe as the latter expands until it disappears. However, if the pressure in the RW universe vanishes, (approximately the present day condition), the underdense region remains static. We have also extended the space-time coordinates of Vaidya metric to the interior of the underdense region as well as the RW universe. It remains to be seen if the region having Vaidya metric disappears earlier than the interior or vice versa.     

On singularity-free spacetimes

We consider here the metric for the singularity-free family of fluid models. The metric is unique for cylindrically symmetric space-time with metric potentials being separable functions of radial and time coordinates in the comoving coordinates. It turns out that fluid models separate out into two classes, withρ ≠μp in general butρ = 3p in particular andp =ρ. It is shown that in both the cases radial heat flow can be incorporated without disturbing the singularity-free character of the spacetime. The geodesics of the singularity-free metric are studied and the geodesic completeness is established. Several previously known solutions are derived as particular cases.     

典型时空中的运动效应和宇观红移现象

本文从相对性原理和局部光速不变性出发,建立了典型时空D_λ(1,4)的模型,讨论了其中的运动效应,计算了光谱线的频移,并在均匀分布的假定下与类星体N-Z关系的观测资料进行了比较。结果表明,河外天体的大红移可能主要不是由多普勒效应引起的,而在相当大程度上是典型时空中的距离效应。这样,运动群为SO(3,2)的模型D_λ<0(1,4)就可能是宇观时空较好的模写。     

Energy and momentum associated with solutions exhibiting directional type singularities

We obtain the energy and momentum densities of a general static axially symmetric vacuum space-time, the Weyl metric, with the help of Landau – Lifshitz and Bergmann – Thomson energy-momentum complexes. We find that these two definitions of energy-momentum complexes do not provide the same energy density for the space-time under consideration, while give the same momentum density. We show that, in the case of the Curzon metric (a particular case of the Weyl metric), these two definitions give the same energy only when R → ∞. Furthermore, we compare these results with those obtained using Einstein, Papapetrou and MØller energy momentum complexes.     

The zero active mass condition in Friedmann–Robertson–Walker cosmologies

Many cosmological measurements today suggest that the Universe is expanding at a constant rate. This is inferred from the observed age versus redshift relationship and various distance indicators, all of which point to a cosmic equation of state (EoS) p = -ρ/3, where ρ and p are, respectively, the total energy density and pressure of the cosmic fluid. It has recently been shown that this result is not a coincidence and simply confirms the fact that the symmetries in the Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) metric appear to be viable only for a medium with zero active mass, i.e., ρ + 3p = 0. In their latest paper, however, Kim, Lasenby and Hobson (2016) have provided what they believe to be a counter argument to this conclusion. Here, we show that these authors are merely repeating the conventional mistake of incorrectly placing the observer simultaneously in a comoving frame, where the lapse function gtt is coordinate dependent when ρ + 3p ≠ 0, and a supposedly different, freefalling frame, in which g_tt = 1, implying no time dilation. We demonstrate that the Hubble flow is not inertial when ρ + 3p ≠ 0, so the comoving frame is generally not in free fall, even though in FRW, the comoving and free-falling frames are supposed to be identical at every spacetime point. So this confusion of frames not only constitutes an inconsistency with the fundamental tenets of general relativity but, additionally, there is no possibility of using a gauge transformation to select a set of coordinates for which g_tt = 1 when ρ + 3p ≠ 0.     

Discrete-state moduli of string theory from the c = 1 matrix model

We propose a new formulation of the space-time interpretation of the c = 1 matrix model. Our formulation uses the well-known leg-pole factor that relates the matrix model amplitudes to that of the 2-dimensional string theory, but includes fluctuations around the Fermi vacuum on both sides of the inverted harmonic oscillator potential of the double-scaled model, even when the fluctuations are small and confined entirely within the asymptotes in the phase plane. We argue that including fluctuations on both sides of the potential is essential for a consistent interpretation of the leg-pole transformed theory as a theory of space-time gravity. We reproduce the known results for the string theory tree-level scattering amplitudes for flat space and linear dilaton background as a special case. We show that the generic case corresponds to more general space-time backgrounds. In particular, we identify the parameter corresponding to background metric perturbation in string theory (black-hole mass) in terms of the matrix model variables. Possible implications of our work for a consistent non-perturbative definition of string theory as well as for quantized gravity and black-hole physics are discussed.     

The Kerr space-time near the ring singularity

We investigate the geometry of the Kerr space-time near the ring singularity. A systematic study of the mathematical and physical structure of this region reveals that the singularity in the Kerr space-time is naturally understood in terms of a subset of the immersion of the set defined byr=0 (in Boyer-Lindquist coordinates) in the Kerr space-time. It is well known that the Kerr space-time is not a differentiable manifold (due to the curvature singularity) or a topological manifold, but a well defined topological space with a structure that is manifested by the constrast in taking limits along the hypersurface atr=0 and the equatorial plane which approach singularity. We find that the ring singularity is either an edge or a self-intersection of the topological space depending on which extension of the metric throughr=0 is implemented. A major result of this analysis is the extrapolation to the general accelerating case of Carter's proof that the only nonspacelike geodesics which can reach the ring singularity are restricted to the equatorial plane. For finite magnitudes of proper acceleration, it is shown that only lightlike trajectories that asymptotically approach the null generator of the ring singularity can reach it from above or below the equatorial plane.     

Normalization and prescribed extrinsic scalar curvature on lightlike hypersurfaces

In a recent paper [C. Atindogbé, Scalar curvature on lightlike hypersurfaces, Appl. Sci. 11 (2009) 9–18], the present author considered the concept of extrinsic (induced) scalar curvature on lightlike hypersurfaces. This scalar quantity has been studied on lightlike hypersurfaces equipped with a given normalization. But a very important problem was left open: How to characterize the set of all normalizations admitting a prescribed extrinsic scalar curvature? In this paper, we provide various responses to this question, supported by examples.     

The high-energy quark-quark scattering: from Minkowskian to Euclidean theory

In this paper we consider some analytic properties of the high-energy quark-quark scattering amplitude, which, as is well known, can be described by the expectation value of two lightlike Wilson lines, running along the classical trajectories of the two colliding particles. We will show that the expectation value of two infinite Wilson lines, forming a certain hyperbolic angle in Minkowski space-time, and the expectation value of two infinite Euclidean Wilson lines, forming a certain angle in Euclidean four-space, are connected by an analytic continuation in the angular variables: the proof is given for an Abelian gauge theory (QED) in the so-called quenched approximation and for a non-Abelian gauge theory (QCD) up to the fourth order in the renormalized coupling constant in perturbation theory. This could open the possibility of evaluating the high-energy scattering amplitude directly on the lattice or using the stochastic vacuum model.     

Length measurement in accelerated systems

We investigate the limitations of length measurements by accelerated observers in Minkowski spacetime brought about via the hypothesis of locality, namely, the assumption that an accelerated observer at each instant is equivalent to an otherwise identical momentarily comoving inertial observer. We find that consistency can be achieved only in a rather limited neighborhood around the observer with linear dimensions that are negligibly small compared to the characteristic acceleration length of the observer.