On rotating isothermal configurations in the post-Newtonian approximation of general relativity

Abstract

The equations which govern the structure of a rotating, truncated isothermal sphere in the post-Newtonian approximation of general relativity are derived and solved numerically. Each model is parameterized by both a rotation and a relativity parameter. The density inside the configurations is tabulated and graphed as a function of both distance from the center and co-latitude. Relativistic gravitational effects are found to pull the models into states which are considerably more centrally condensed than one predicts classically. Rotation tends to flatten the isothermal configurations into oblate spheroids, though for even the largest rotation parameters the degree of flattening is only a few percent. The computed models may be similar to the cores of relativistic star clusters.