Dirac spinor fields in the teleparallel gravity: comment on "Metric-affine approach to teleparallel gravity"

We show that the coupling of a Dirac spinor field with the gravitational field in the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity is consistent. For an arbitrary SO(3,1) connection there are two possibilities for the coupling of the spinor field with the gravitational field. The problems of consistency raised by Y. N. Obukhov and J. G. Pereira in the paper {\it Metric-affine approach to teleparallel gravity} [gr-qc/0212080] take place only in the framework of one particular coupling. By adopting an alternative coupling the consistency problem disappears.Comment: 8 pages, Latex file, no figures, to appear in the Phys. Rev. D as a Commen

Space-time defects and teleparallelism

We consider the class of space-time defects investigated by Puntigam and Soleng. These defects describe space-time dislocations and disclinations (cosmic strings), and are in close correspondence to the actual defects that arise in crystals and metals. It is known that in such materials dislocations and disclinations require a small and large amount of energy, respectively, to be created. The present analysis is carried out in the context of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity (TEGR). We evaluate the gravitational energy of these space-time defects in the framework of the TEGR and find that there is an analogy between defects in space-time and in continuum material systems: the total gravitational energy of space-time dislocations and disclinations (considered as idealized defects) is zero and infinit, respectively.Comment: 22 pages, no figures, to appear in the Class. Quantum Gravit

Lessons of spin and torsion: Reply to ``Consistent coupling to Dirac fields in teleparallelism"

In reply to the criticism made by Mielke in the pereceding Comment [Phys. Rev. D69 (2004) 128501] on our recent paper, we once again explicitly demonstrate the inconsistency of the coupling of a Dirac field to gravitation in the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity. Moreover, we stress that the mentioned inconsistency is generic for {\it all} sources with spin and is by no means restricted to the Dirac field. In this sense the $SL(4,R)$-covariant generalization of the spinor fields in the teleparallel gravity theory is irrelevant to the inconsistency problem.Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, no figure

Charged Dilaton, Energy, Momentum and Angular-Momentum in Teleparallel Theory Equivalent to General Relativity

We apply the energy-momentum tensor to calculate energy, momentum and angular-momentum of two different tetrad fields. This tensor is coordinate independent of the gravitational field established in the Hamiltonian structure of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity (TEGR). The spacetime of these tetrad fields is the charged dilaton. Our results show that the energy associated with one of these tetrad fields is consistent, while the other one does not show this consistency. Therefore, we use the regularized expression of the gravitational energy-momentum tensor of the TEGR. We investigate the energy within the external event horizon using the definition of the gravitational energy-momentum.Comment: 22 Pages Late

Energy and Angular Momentum Densities in a Godel-Type Universe in the Teleparallel Geometry

The main scope of this research consists in evaluating the energy-momentum (gravitational field plus matter) and gravitational angular momentum densities in the universe with global rotation, considering the Godel-Obukhov metric. For this, we use the Hamiltonian formalism of the Teleparallel Equivalent of General Relativity (TEGR), which is justified for presenting covariant expressions for the considered quantities. We found that the total energy density calculated by the TEGR method is in agreement with the results reported by other authors in the literature using pseudotensors. The result found for the angular momentum density depends on the rotational parameter as expected. We also show explicitly the equivalence among the field equations of the TEGR and Einstein equations (RG), considering a perfect fluid and Godel-Obukhov metric.Comment: 20 pages, no figures. Revised in view of Referee's comments. Version to appear in the Gravitation and Cosmolog

Teleparallel Versions of Friedmann and Lewis-Papapetrou Spacetimes

This paper is devoted to investigate the teleparallel versions of the Friedmann models as well as the Lewis-Papapetrou solution. We obtain the tetrad and the torsion fields for both the spacetimes. It is shown that the axial-vector vanishes for the Friedmann models. We discuss the different possibilities of the axial-vector depending on the arbitrary functions $\omega$ and $\psi$ in the Lewis-Papapetrou metric. The vector related with spin has also been evaluated.Comment: 13 pages, accepted for publication in GR

Torsion Gravity: a Reappraisal

The role played by torsion in gravitation is critically reviewed. After a description of the problems and controversies involving the physics of torsion, a comprehensive presentation of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity is made. According to this theory, curvature and torsion are alternative ways of describing the gravitational field, and consequently related to the same degrees of freedom of gravity. However, more general gravity theories, like for example Einstein-Cartan and gauge theories for the Poincare and the affine groups, consider curvature and torsion as representing independent degrees of freedom. By using an active version of the strong equivalence principle, a possible solution to this conceptual question is reviewed. This solution favors ultimately the teleparallel point of view, and consequently the completeness of general relativity. A discussion of the consequences for gravitation is presented.Comment: RevTeX, 34 pages. Review article to be published by Int. J. Mod. Phys.