Reciprocal NUT spacetimes

Abstract

In this paper, we study the Ehlers' transformation (sometimes called gravitational duality rotation) for reciprocal static metrics. First, we introduce the concept of reciprocal metric. We prove a theorem which shows how we can construct a certain new static solution of Einstein field equations using a seed metric. Later, we investigate the family of stationary spacetimes of such reciprocal metrics. The key here is a theorem from Ehlers', which relates any static vacuum solution to a unique stationary metric. The stationary metric has a magnetic charge. The spacetime represents Newman-Unti-Tamburino (NUT) solutions. Since any stationary spacetime can be decomposed into a 1 + 3 time-space decomposition, Einstein field equations for any stationary spacetime can be written in the form of Maxwell's equations for gravitoelectromagnetic fields. Further, we show that this set of equations is invariant under reciprocal transformations. An additional point is that the NUT charge changes the sign. As an instructive example, by starting from the reciprocal Schwarzschild as a spherically symmetric solution and reciprocal Morgan–Morgan disk model as seed metrics we find their corresponding stationary spacetimes. Starting from any static seed metric, performing the reciprocal transformation and by applying an additional Ehlers' transformation we obtain a family of NUT spaces with negative NUT factor (reciprocal NUT factors).