18,855 research outputs found
The C-metric as a colliding plane wave space-time
It is explicitly shown that part of the C-metric space-time inside the black
hole horizon may be interpreted as the interaction region of two colliding
plane waves with aligned linear polarization, provided the rotational
coordinate is replaced by a linear one. This is a one-parameter generalization
of the degenerate Ferrari-Ibanez solution in which the focussing singularity is
a Cauchy horizon rather than a curvature singularity.Comment: 6 pages. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Global aspects of accelerating and rotating black hole space-times
The complete family of exact solutions representing accelerating and rotating
black holes with possible electromagnetic charges and a NUT parameter is known
in terms of a modified Plebanski-Demianski metric. This demonstrates the
singularity and horizon structure of the sources but not that the complete
space-time describes two causally separated black holes. To demonstrate this
property, the metric is first cast in the Weyl-Lewis-Papapetrou form. After
extending this up to the acceleration horizon, it is then transformed to the
boost-rotation-symmetric form in which the global properties of the solution
are manifest. The physical interpretation of these solutions is thus clarified.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure. To appear in Class. Quantum Gra
A disintegrating cosmic string
We present a simple sandwich gravitational wave of the Robinson-Trautman
family. This is interpreted as representing a shock wave with a spherical
wavefront which propagates into a Minkowski background minus a wedge. (i.e. the
background contains a cosmic string.) The deficit angle (the tension) of the
string decreases through the gravitational wave, which then ceases. This leaves
an expanding spherical region of Minkowski space behind it. The decay of the
cosmic string over a finite interval of retarded time may be considered to
generate the gravitational wave.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra
Choice of Consistent Family, and Quantum Incompatibility
In consistent history quantum theory, a description of the time development
of a quantum system requires choosing a framework or consistent family, and
then calculating probabilities for the different histories which it contains.
It is argued that the framework is chosen by the physicist constructing a
description of a quantum system on the basis of questions he wishes to address,
in a manner analogous to choosing a coarse graining of the phase space in
classical statistical mechanics. The choice of framework is not determined by
some law of nature, though it is limited by quantum incompatibility, a concept
which is discussed using a two-dimensional Hilbert space (spin half particle).
Thus certain questions of physical interest can only be addressed using
frameworks in which they make (quantum mechanical) sense. The physicist's
choice does not influence reality, nor does the presence of choices render the
theory subjective. On the contrary, predictions of the theory can, in
principle, be verified by experimental measurements. These considerations are
used to address various criticisms and possible misunderstandings of the
consistent history approach, including its predictive power, whether it
requires a new logic, whether it can be interpreted realistically, the nature
of ``quasiclassicality'', and the possibility of ``contrary'' inferences.Comment: Minor revisions to bring into conformity with published version.
Revtex 29 pages including 1 page with figure
On the parameters of the Kerr-NUT-(anti-)de Sitter space-time
Different forms of the metric for the Kerr-NUT-(anti-)de Sitter space-time
are being widely used in its extension to higher dimensions. The purpose of
this note is to relate the parameters that are being used to the physical
parameters (mass, rotation, NUT and cosmological constant) in the basic four
dimensional situation.Comment: 4 pages. To appear as a Note in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Accelerating Kerr-Newman black holes in (anti-)de Sitter space-time
A class of exact solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations is presented
which describes an accelerating and rotating charged black hole in an
asymptotically de Sitter or anti-de Sitter universe. The metric is presented in
a new and convenient form in which the meaning of the parameters is clearly
identified, and from which the physical properties of the solution can readily
be interpreted.Comment: 5 pages. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Interpreting the C-metric
The basic properties of the C-metric are well known. It describes a pair of
causally separated black holes which accelerate in opposite directions under
the action of forces represented by conical singularities. However, these
properties can be demonstrated much more transparently by making use of
recently developed coordinate systems for which the metric functions have a
simple factor structure. These enable us to obtain explicit
Kruskal-Szekeres-type extensions through the horizons and construct
two-dimensional conformal Penrose diagrams. We then combine these into a
three-dimensional picture which illustrates the global causal structure of the
space-time outside the black hole horizons. Using both the weak field limit and
some invariant quantities, we give a direct physical interpretation of the
parameters which appear in the new form of the metric. For completeness,
relations to other familiar coordinate systems are also discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures (low-resolution figures; for the version with
high-resolution figures see http://utf.mff.cuni.cz/~krtous/papers/ or
http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~majbg/
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