On the evolution equations for ideal magnetohydrodynamics in curved spacetime

Abstract

We examine the problem of the construction of a first order symmetric hyperbolic evolution system for the Einstein-Maxwell-Euler system. Our analysis is based on a 1+3 tetrad formalism which makes use of the components of the Weyl tensor as one of the unknowns. In order to ensure the symmetric hyperbolicity of the evolution equations implied by the Bianchi identity, we introduce a tensor of rank 3 corresponding to the covariant derivative of the Faraday tensor. Our analysis includes the case of a perfect fluid with infinite conductivity (ideal magnetohydrodynamics) as a particular subcase.Comment: 25 pages, no figures. New references added. Comments added in the Introduction. Accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitatio