745 research outputs found

    On the causal properties of warped product spacetimes

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    It is shown that the warped product spacetime P=M *_f H, where H is a complete Riemannian manifold, and the original spacetime M share necessarily the same causality properties, the only exceptions being the properties of causal continuity and causal simplicity which present some subtleties. For instance, it is shown that if diamH=+\infty, the direct product spacetime P=M*H is causally simple if and only if (M,g) is causally simple, the Lorentzian distance on M is continuous and any two causally related events at finite distance are connected by a maximizing geodesic. Similar conditions are found for the causal continuity property. Some new results concerning the behavior of the Lorentzian distance on distinguishing, causally continuous, and causally simple spacetimes are obtained. Finally, a formula which gives the Lorentzian distance on the direct product in terms of the distances on the two factors (M,g) and (H,h) is obtained.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures, uses the package psfra

    Causally simple inextendible spacetimes are hole-free

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    It is shown that causally simple inextendible spacetimes are hole-free, thus confirming the expectation that causal simplicity removes holes from spacetime. This result is optimal in the sense that causal simplicity cannot be weakened to causal continuity. Physically, it means that if there is some partial Cauchy hypersurface which, for some reason, does not fully develop its influence, then there is some discontinuity in the causal relation.Comment: Revtex4, 9 pages. v2: minor correction

    Non-imprisonment conditions on spacetime

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    The non-imprisonment conditions on spacetimes are studied. It is proved that the non-partial imprisonment property implies the distinction property. Moreover, it is proved that feeble distinction, a property which stays between weak distinction and causality, implies non-total imprisonment. As a result the non-imprisonment conditions can be included in the causal ladder of spacetimes. Finally, totally imprisoned causal curves are studied in detail, and results concerning the existence and properties of minimal invariant sets are obtained.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. v2: improved results on totally imprisoned curves, a figure changed, some misprints fixe

    Lightlike simultaneity, comoving observers and distances in general relativity

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    We state a condition for an observer to be comoving with another observer in general relativity, based on the concept of lightlike simultaneity. Taking into account this condition, we study relative velocities, Doppler effect and light aberration. We obtain that comoving observers observe the same light ray with the same frequency and direction, and so gravitational redshift effect is a particular case of Doppler effect. We also define a distance between an observer and the events that it observes, that coincides with the known affine distance. We show that affine distance is a particular case of radar distance in the Minkowski space-time and generalizes the proper radial distance in the Schwarzschild space-time. Finally, we show that affine distance gives us a new concept of distance in Robertson-Walker space-times, according to Hubble law.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Since "lightlike distance" is in fact the known "affine distance", the notation has been change

    Multiply Warped Products with Non-Smooth Metrics

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    In this article we study manifolds with C0C^{0}-metrics and properties of Lorentzian multiply warped products. We represent the interior Schwarzschild space-time as a multiply warped product space-time with warping functions and we also investigate the curvature of a multiply warped product with C0C^0-warping functions. We given the {\it{Ricci curvature}} in terms of f1f_1, f2f_2 for the multiply warped products of the form $M=(0,\ 2m)\times_{f_1}R^1\times_{f_2} S^2$.Comment: LaTeX, 7 page

    Limit curve theorems in Lorentzian geometry

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    The subject of limit curve theorems in Lorentzian geometry is reviewed. A general limit curve theorem is formulated which includes the case of converging curves with endpoints and the case in which the limit points assigned since the beginning are one, two or at most denumerable. Some applications are considered. It is proved that in chronological spacetimes, strong causality is either everywhere verified or everywhere violated on maximizing lightlike segments with open domain. As a consequence, if in a chronological spacetime two distinct lightlike lines intersect each other then strong causality holds at their points. Finally, it is proved that two distinct components of the chronology violating set have disjoint closures or there is a lightlike line passing through each point of the intersection of the corresponding boundaries.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figure. v2: Misprints fixed, matches published versio

    Geometric Analysis of Particular Compactly Constructed Time Machine Spacetimes

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    We formulate the concept of time machine structure for spacetimes exhibiting a compactely constructed region with closed timelike curves. After reviewing essential properties of the pseudo Schwarzschild spacetime introduced by A. 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 the pseudo Kerr spacetime. We establish its time machine structure and analyze its global properties.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

    Kinematic relative velocity with respect to stationary observers in Schwarzschild spacetime

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    We study the kinematic relative velocity of general test particles with respect to stationary observers (using spherical coordinates) in Schwarzschild spacetime, obtaining that its modulus does not depend on the observer, unlike Fermi, spectroscopic and astrometric relative velocities. We study some fundamental particular cases, generalizing some results given in other work about stationary and radial free-falling test particles. Moreover, we give a new result about test particles with circular geodesic orbits: the modulus of their kinematic relative velocity with respect to any stationary observer depends only on the radius of the circular orbit, and so, it remains constant.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
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