Comment on Ricci Collineations for type B warped space-times

We present two counterexamples to the paper by Carot et al. in Gen. Rel. Grav. 1997, 29, 1223 and show that the results obtained are correct but not general.Comment: LaTex, 3 pages, Eq. (9) and reference added, typos corrected; Gen. Rel. Grav (to appear

On the general structure of Ricci collineations for type B warped spacetimes

A complete study of the structure of Ricci collineations for type B warped spacetimes is carried out. This study can be used as a method to obtain these symetries in such spacetimes. Special cases as 2+2 reducible spacetimes, and plane and spherical symmetric spacetimes are considered specifically.Comment: 18 pages. Version accepted for publication in JM

Uniqueness of Petrov type D spatially inhomogeneous irrotational silent models

The consistency of the constraint with the evolution equations for spatially inhomogeneous and irrotational silent (SIIS) models of Petrov type I, demands that the former are preserved along the timelike congruence represented by the velocity of the dust fluid, leading to \emph{new} non-trivial constraints. This fact has been used to conjecture that the resulting models correspond to the spatially homogeneous (SH) models of Bianchi type I, at least for the case where the cosmological constant vanish. By exploiting the full set of the constraint equations as expressed in the 1+3 covariant formalism and using elements from the theory of the spacelike congruences, we provide a direct and simple proof of this conjecture for vacuum and dust fluid models, which shows that the Szekeres family of solutions represents the most general class of SIIS models. The suggested procedure also shows that, the uniqueness of the SIIS of the Petrov type D is not, in general, affected by the presence of a non-zero pressure fluid. Therefore, in order to allow a broader class of Petrov type I solutions apart from the SH models of Bianchi type I, one should consider more general ``silent'' configurations by relaxing the vanishing of the vorticity and the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor but maintaining their ``silence'' properties i.e. the vanishing of the curls of $E_{ab},H_{ab}$ and the pressure $p$.Comment: Latex, 19 pages, no figures;(v2) some clarification remarks and an appendix are added; (v3) minor changes to match published versio

Note on Matter Collineations in Kantowski-Sachs, Bianchi Types I and III Spacetimes

We show that the classification of Kantowski-Sachs, Bianchi Types I and III spacetimes admitting Matter Collineations (MCs) presented in a recent paper by Camci et al. [Camci, U., and Sharif, M. {Matter Collineations in Kantowski-Sachs, Bianchi Types I and III Spacetimes}, 2003 Gen. Relativ. Grav. vol. 35, 97-109] is incomplete. Furthermore for these spacetimes and when the Einstein tensor is non-degenerate, we give the complete Lie Algebra of MCs and the algebraic constraints on the spatial components of the Einstein tensor.Comment: 10 pages, Latex. Accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitatio

A classification of spherically symmetric spacetimes

A complete classification of locally spherically symmetric four-dimensional Lorentzian spacetimes is given in terms of their local conformal symmetries. The general solution is given in terms of canonical metric types and the associated conformal Lie algebras. The analysis is based upon the local conformal decomposition into 2+2 reducible spacetimes and the Petrov type. A variety of physically meaningful example spacetimes are discussed

Ricci Collineations for type B warped space-times

We present the general structure of proper Ricci Collineations (RC) for type B warped space-times. Within this framework, we give a detailed description of the most general proper RC for spherically symmetric metrics. As examples, static spherically symmetric and Friedmann-Robertson-Walker space-times are considered.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, To appear in GR

Flat deformation theorem and symmetries in spacetime

The \emph{flat deformation theorem} states that given a semi-Riemannian analytic metric $g$ on a manifold, locally there always exists a two-form $F$, a scalar function $c$, and an arbitrarily prescribed scalar constraint depending on the point $x$ of the manifold and on $F$ and $c$, say $\Psi (c, F, x)=0$, such that the \emph{deformed metric} $\eta = cg -\epsilon F^2$ is semi-Riemannian and flat. In this paper we first show that the above result implies that every (Lorentzian analytic) metric $g$ may be written in the \emph{extended Kerr-Schild form}, namely $\eta_{ab} := a g_{ab} - 2 b k_{(a} l_{b)}$ where $\eta$ is flat and $k_a, l_a$ are two null covectors such that $k_a l^a= -1$; next we show how the symmetries of $g$ are connected to those of $\eta$, more precisely; we show that if the original metric $g$ admits a Conformal Killing vector (including Killing vectors and homotheties), then the deformation may be carried out in a way such that the flat deformed metric $\eta$ `inherits' that symmetry.Comment: 30 pages, 0 figure

Spacelike Ricci Inheritance Vectors in a Model of String Cloud and String Fluid Stress Tensor

We study the consequences of the existence of spacelike Ricci inheritance vectors (SpRIVs) parallel to $x^a$ for model of string cloud and string fluid stress tensor in the context of general relativity. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for a spacetime with a model of string cloud and string fluid stress tensor to admit a SpRIV and a SpRIV which is also a spacelike conformal Killing vector (SpCKV). Also, some results are obtained.Comment: 11 page

Kinematic self-similar locally rotationally symmetric models

A brief summary of results on kinematic self-similarities in general relativity is given. Attention is focussed on locally rotationally symmetric models admitting kinematic self-similar vectors. Coordinate expressions for the metric and the kinematic self-similar vector are provided. Einstein's field equations for perfect fluid models are investigated and all the homothetic perfect fluid solutions admitting a maximal four-parameter group of isometries are given.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, final version, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra

Classification of Spherically Symmetric Static Spacetimes according to their Matter Collineations

The spherically symmetric static spacetimes are classified according to their matter collineations. These are studied when the energy-momentum tensor is degenerate and also when it is non-degenerate. We have found a case where the energy-momentum tensor is degenerate but the group of matter collineations is finite. For the non-degenerate case, we obtain either {\it four}, {\it five}, {\it six} or {\it ten} independent matter collineations in which four are isometries and the rest are proper. We conclude that the matter collineations coincide with the Ricci collineations but the constraint equations are different which on solving can provide physically interesting cosmological solutions.Comment: 15 pages, no figure, Late