46 research outputs found
A comment on Liu and Yau's positive quasi-local mass
Liu and Yau (Phys.Rev.Lett. 90, 231102, 2003) propose a definition of quasi-local mass for any space-like, topological 2-sphere with positive Gauss curvature (and subject to a second, convexity, condition). They are able to show it is positive using a result of Shi and Tam (J.Diff.Geom. 62, 79, 2002). However, as we show here, their definition can give a strictly positive mass for a sphere in flat space
Trapped Surfaces in Vacuum Spacetimes
An earlier construction by the authors of sequences of globally regular,
asymptotically flat initial data for the Einstein vacuum equations containing
trapped surfaces for large values of the parameter is extended, from the time
symmetric case considered previously, to the case of maximal slices. The
resulting theorem shows rigorously that there exists a large class of initial
configurations for non-time symmetric pure gravitational waves satisfying the
assumptions of the Penrose singularity theorem and so must have a singularity
to the future.Comment: 14 page
Non-uniqueness in conformal formulations of the Einstein constraints
Standard methods in non-linear analysis are used to show that there exists a
parabolic branching of solutions of the Lichnerowicz-York equation with an
unscaled source. We also apply these methods to the extended conformal thin
sandwich formulation and show that if the linearised system develops a kernel
solution for sufficiently large initial data then we obtain parabolic solution
curves for the conformal factor, lapse and shift identical to those found
numerically by Pfeiffer and York. The implications of these results for
constrained evolutions are discussed.Comment: Arguments clarified and typos corrected. Matches published versio
The physical gravitational degrees of freedom
When constructing general relativity (GR), Einstein required 4D general
covariance. In contrast, we derive GR (in the compact, without boundary case)
as a theory of evolving 3-dimensional conformal Riemannian geometries obtained
by imposing two general principles: 1) time is derived from change; 2) motion
and size are relative. We write down an explicit action based on them. We
obtain not only GR in the CMC gauge, in its Hamiltonian 3 + 1 reformulation but
also all the equations used in York's conformal technique for solving the
initial-value problem. This shows that the independent gravitational degrees of
freedom obtained by York do not arise from a gauge fixing but from hitherto
unrecognized fundamental symmetry principles. They can therefore be identified
as the long-sought Hamiltonian physical gravitational degrees of freedom.Comment: Replaced with published version (minor changes and added references
Equilibrium initial data for moving puncture simulations: The stationary 1+log slicing
We propose and explore a "stationary 1+log" slicing condition for the
construction of solutions to Einstein's constraint equations. For stationary
spacetimes, these initial data will give a stationary foliation when evolved
with "moving puncture" gauge conditions that are often used in black hole
evolutions. The resulting slicing is time-independent and agrees with the
slicing generated by being dragged along a time-like Killing vector of the
spacetime. When these initial data are evolved with moving puncture gauge
conditions, numerical errors arising from coordinate evolution are minimized.
In the construction of initial data for binary black holes it is often assumed
that there exists an approximate helical Killing vector that generates the
binary's orbit. We show that, unfortunately, 1+log slices that are stationary
with respect to such a helical Killing vector cannot be asymptotically flat,
unless the spacetime possesses an additional axial Killing vector.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, published versio
Vacuum Spacetimes with Future Trapped Surfaces
In this article we show that one can construct initial data for the Einstein
equations which satisfy the vacuum constraints. This initial data is defined on
a manifold with topology with a regular center and is asymptotically
flat. Further, this initial data will contain an annular region which is
foliated by two-surfaces of topology . These two-surfaces are future
trapped in the language of Penrose. The Penrose singularity theorem guarantees
that the vacuum spacetime which evolves from this initial data is future null
incomplete.Comment: 19 page
Scale-invariance in gravity and implications for the cosmological constant
Recently a scale invariant theory of gravity was constructed by imposing a
conformal symmetry on general relativity. The imposition of this symmetry
changed the configuration space from superspace - the space of all Riemannian
3-metrics modulo diffeomorphisms - to conformal superspace - the space of all
Riemannian 3-metrics modulo diffeomorphisms and conformal transformations.
However, despite numerous attractive features, the theory suffers from at least
one major problem: the volume of the universe is no longer a dynamical
variable. In attempting to resolve this problem a new theory is found which has
several surprising and atractive features from both quantisation and
cosmological perspectives. Furthermore, it is an extremely restrictive theory
and thus may provide testable predictions quickly and easily. One particularly
interesting feature of the theory is the resolution of the cosmological
constant problem.Comment: Replaced with final version: minor changes to text; references adde
Scale-invariant gravity: Spacetime recovered
The configuration space of general relativity is superspace - the space of
all Riemannian 3-metrics modulo diffeomorphisms. However, it has been argued
that the configuration space for gravity should be conformal superspace - the
space of all Riemannian 3-metrics modulo diffeomorphisms and conformal
transformations. Recently a manifestly 3-dimensional theory was constructed
with conformal superspace as the configuration space. Here a fully
4-dimensional action is constructed so as to be invariant under conformal
transformations of the 4-metric using general relativity as a guide. This
action is then decomposed to a (3+1)-dimensional form and from this to its
Jacobi form. The surprising thing is that the new theory turns out to be
precisely the original 3-dimensional theory. The physical data is identified
and used to find the physical representation of the theory. In this
representation the theory is extremely similar to general relativity. The
clarity of the 4-dimensional picture should prove very useful for comparing the
theory with those aspects of general relativity which are usually treated in
the 4-dimensional framework.Comment: Replaced with final version: minor changes to tex