Exact solutions of Bianchi I spacetimes which admit Conformal Killing Vectors

Abstract

We develop a new method in order to classify the Bianchi I spacetimes which admit conformal Killing vectors (CKV). The method is based on two propositions which relate the CKVs of 1+(n-1) decomposable Riemannian spaces with the CKVs of the (n-1) subspace and show that if 1+(n-1) space is conformally flat then the (n-1) spacetime is maximally symmetric. The method is used to study the conformal algebra of the Kasner spacetime and other less known Bianchi type I matter solutions of General Relativity.