Ellipsoidal space-times,sources for the Kerr metric

The paper develops a systematic derivation of the Kerr metric and its possible sources in a clear geometric manner. It starts with a concise account of previous attempts at constructing an interior Kerr solution. Then a treatment of stationary-axisymmetric spacetimes, specially fitted to the needs of the following analysis, is presented. A new notion of an ellipsoidal space-time is introduced: it is a space-time in which local rest 3-spaces of some observers split naturally into congruences of concentric and coaxial ellipsoids. It is shown that these 3-spaces are natural spaces to consider the ellipsoidal figures of equilibrium. The investigation is carried out in detail for axially symmetric oblate confocal ellipsoids, but possible generalizations are indicated. The Kerr metric is found to be an ellipsoidal space-time of this special kind. Some remarks concerning an (unfound) explicit interior Kerr solution conclude the paper.