Schild's null strings in flat and curved backgrounds.

Abstract

Schild's null (tensionless) strings are discussed in certain flat and curved backgrounds. We find closed, stationary, null strings as natural configurations existing on the horizons of spacetimes which possess such null hypersurfaces. Examples of these are obtained in Schwarzschild and Rindler spacetimes. A dynamic null string is also identified in Rindler spacetime. Furthermore, a general prescription (with explicit examples) is outlined by means of which null string configurations can be obtained in a large class of cosmological backgrounds. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.