Einstein's General Relativity Research Articles

Compact stars in energy-momentum squared gravity

A simple generalization to Einstein's general relativity (GR) was recently proposed which allows a correction term $T_{\alpha\beta}T^{\alpha\beta}$ in the action functional of the theory. This theory is called Energy-Momentum Squared Gravity (EMSG) and introduces a new coupling parameter $\eta$. EMSG resolves the big bang singularity and has a viable sequence of cosmological epochs in its thermal history. {Interestingly, in the vacuum EMSG is equivalent to GR, and its effects appear only inside the matter-energy distribution. More specifically, its consequences appear in high curvature regime. Therefore it is natural to expect deviations form GR inside compact stars. In order to study spherically symmetric compact stars in EMSG, we find the relativistic governing equations. More specifically, we find the generalized version of the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov equation in EMSG. Finally we present two analytical solutions, and two numerical solutions for the field equations. For obtaining the numerical solutions we use polytropic equation of state which is widely used to understand the internal structure of neutron stars in the literature. Eventually we find a mass-radius relation for neutron stars. Also, We found that EMSG, depending on the central pressure of the star and the magnitude of free parameter $\eta$, can lead to larger or smaller masses for neutron stars compared with GR. Existence of high-mass neutron stars with ordinary polytropic equation of state in EMSG is important in the sense that these stars exist in GR provided that one use exotic equation of states.

A primer to numerical simulations: the perihelion motion of Mercury

Numerical simulations are playing an increasingly important role in modern science. In this work it is suggested to use a numerical study of the famous perihelion motion of the planet Mercury (one of the prime observables supporting Einsteins general relativity) as a test case to teach numerical simulations to high school students. The paper includes details about the development of the code as well as a discussion of the visualization of the results. In addition a method is discussed that allows one to estimate the size of the effect as well as the uncertainty of the approach a priori. At the same time this enables the students to double check the results found numerically. The course is structured into a basic block and two further refinements which aim at more advanced students.

Anisotropic neutron stars in R2 gravity

We consider static neutron stars within the framework of $R^2$ gravity. The neutron fluid is described by three different types of realistic equations of state (soft, moderately stiff, and stiff). Using the observational data on the neutron star mass-radius relation, it is demonstrated that the characteristics of the objects supported by the isotropic fluid agree with the observations only if one uses the soft equation of state. We show that the inclusion of the fluid anisotropy enables one also to employ more stiff equations of state to model configurations that will satisfy the observational constraints sufficiently. Also, using the standard thin accretion disk model, we demonstrate potentially observable differences, which allow us to distinguish the neutron stars constructed within the modified gravity framework from those described in Einstein's general relativity.

Kerr\u2013Newman-AdS black hole surrounded by perfect fluid matter in Rastall gravity

The Rastall gravity is the modified Einstein general relativity, in which the energy-momentum conservation law is generalized to T^{mu nu }_{~~;mu }=lambda R^{,nu }. In this work, we derive the Kerr–Newman-AdS (KN-AdS) black hole solutions surrounded by the perfect fluid matter in the Rastall gravity using the Newman–Janis method and Mathematica package. We then discuss the black hole properties surrounded by two kinds of specific perfect fluid matter, the dark energy (omega =-,2/3) and the perfect fluid dark matter (omega =-,1/3). Firstly, the Rastall parameter kappa lambda could be constrained by the weak energy condition and strong energy condition. Secondly, by analyzing the number of roots in the horizon equation, we get the range of the perfect fluid matter intensity alpha , which depends on the black hole mass M and the Rastall parameter kappa lambda . Thirdly, we study the influence of the perfect fluid dark matter and dark energy on the ergosphere. We find that the perfect fluid dark matter has significant effects on the ergosphere size, while the dark energy has smaller effects. Finally, we find that the perfect fluid matter does not change the singularity of the black hole. Furthermore, we investigate the rotation velocity in the equatorial plane for the KN-AdS black hole with dark energy and perfect fluid dark matter. We propose that the rotation curve diversity in Low Surface Brightness galaxies could be explained in the framework of the Rastall gravity when both the perfect fluid dark matter halo and the baryon disk are taken into account.

Causality violations in Lovelock theories

Higher-derivative gravity theories, such as Lovelock theories, generalize Einstein's general relativity (GR). Modifications to GR are expected when curvatures are near Planckian and appear in string theory or supergravity. But can such theories describe gravity on length scales much larger than the Planck cutoff length scale? Here we find causality constraints on Lovelock theories that arise from the requirement that the equations of motion (EOM) of perturbations be hyperbolic. We find a general expression for the "effective metric" in field space when Lovelock theories are perturbed around some symmetric background solution. In particular, we calculate explicitly the effective metric for a general Lovelock theory perturbed around cosmological Friedman-Robertson-Walker backgrounds and for some specific cases when perturbed around Schwarzschild-like solutions. For the EOM to be hyperbolic, the effective metric needs to be Lorentzian. We find that, unlike for GR, the effective metric is generically not Lorentzian when the Lovelock modifications are significant. So, we conclude that Lovelock theories can only be considered as perturbative extensions of GR and not as truly modified theories of gravity. We compare our results to those in the literature and find that they agree with and reproduce the results of previous studies.

Type Ia supernovae, standardizable candles, and gravity

Type Ia supernovae (SNIe) are generally accepted to act as standardisable candles, and their use in cosmology led to the first confirmation of the as yet unexplained accelerated cosmic expansion. Many of the theoretical models to explain the cosmic acceleration assume modifications to Einsteinian General Relativity which accelerate the expansion, but the question of whether such modifications also affect the ability of SNIe to be standardisable candles has rarely been addressed. This paper is an attempt to answer this question. For this we adopt a semi-analytical model to calculate SNIe light curves in non-standard gravity. We use this model to show that the average rescaled intrinsic peak luminosity -- a quantity that is assumed to be constant with redshift in standard analyses of Type Ia supernova (SNIa) cosmology data -- depends on the strength of gravity in the supernova's local environment because the latter determines the Chandrasekhar mass -- the mass of the SNIa's white dwarf progenitor right before the explosion. This means that SNIe are no longer standardisable candles in scenarios where the strength of gravity evolves over time, and therefore the cosmology implied by the existing SNIa data will be different when analysed in the context of such models. As an example, we show that the observational SNIa cosmology data can be fitted with both a model where $(\Omega_{\rm M}, \Omega_{\Lambda})=(0.62, 0.38)$ and Newton's constant $G$ varies as $G(z)=G_0(1+z)^{-1/4}$ and the standard model where $(\Omega_{\rm M}, \Omega_{\Lambda})=(0.3, 0.7)$ and $G$ is constant, when the Universe is assumed to be flat.

Space-time slicing in Horndeski theories and its implications for non-singular bouncing solutions

In this paper, we show how the proper choice of gauge is critical in analyzing the stability of non-singular cosmological bounce solutions based on Horndeski theories. We show that it is possible to construct non-singular cosmological bounce solutions with classically stable behavior for all modes with wavelengths above the Planck scale where: (a) the solution involves a stage of null-energy condition violation during which gravity is described by a modification of Einstein's general relativity; and (b) the solution reduces to Einstein gravity both before and after the null-energy condition violating stage. Similar considerations apply to galilean genesis scenarios.

Weyl fermions in a family of Gödel-type geometries with a topological defect

In this paper, we study Weyl fermions in a family of Gödel-type geometries in Einstein general relativity. We also consider that these solutions are embedded in a topological defect background. We solve the Weyl equation and find the energy eigenvalues and eigenspinors for all three cases of Gödel-type geometries where a topological defect is passing through them. We show that the presence of a topological defect in these geometries contributes to the modification of the spectrum of energy. The energy zero modes for all three cases of the Gödel geometries are discussed.

Nonexotic matter wormholes in a trace of the energy-momentum tensor squared gravity

Wormholes are tunnels connecting two different points in space-time. In Einstein's General Relativity theory, wormholes are expected to be filled by exotic matter, i.e., matter that does not satisfy the energy conditions and may have negative density. We propose, in this paper, the achievement of wormhole solutions with no need for exotic matter. In order to achieve so, we consider quadratic terms in the trace of the energy-momentum tensor as corrections to the effective energy-momentum tensor of the underlined theory of gravity. We show that by following this formalism, it is possible, indeed, to obtain non-exotic matter wormhole solutions.

Gravitational Deflection of Celestial Bodies and Photons

The gravitational deflection angle of celestial bodies travelling near the sun with large eccentricity was derived using the extended Newtonian theory (ENET) and Einstein general theory of relativity (GTR). It was found that the non-Newtonian gravitational deflection of celestial bodies for ENET is 1.5 times the prediction of GTR. The deflection angle of the photon however coincided with the light deflection of GTR. It was also found that the photon’s gravitational deflection obeys (as in GTR) an ODE which is a special case of the one for relativistic celestial bodies.

On the spatially homogeneous and isotropic Einstein-Vlasov-Fokker-Planck system with cosmological scalar field

The Einstein-Vlasov-Fokker-Planck system describes the kinetic diffusion dynamics of self-gravitating particles within the Einstein theory of general relativity. We study the Cauchy problem for spatially homogeneous and isotropic solutions and prove the existence of both global-in-time solutions and solutions that blow-up in finite time depending on the size of certain functions of the initial data. We also derive information on the large-time behavior of global solutions and toward the singularity for solutions which blow-up in finite time. Our results entail the existence of a phase of decelerated expansion followed by a phase of accelerated expansion, in accordance with the physical expectations in cosmology.

Equilibrium configurations of white dwarfs in the pseudo‐complex general relativity

Equilibrium configurations of white dwarfs in the pseudo‐complex general relativity

As the Loom of Physics Expands

Sheldon Glashow continues his stroll through the history of physics, making his way in this installment from waves and particles as they apply to sound, light, and matter to Einstein's general and special relativity.

Rotation curves of LSBGs and dwarf galaxies in a nearly Newtonian solution

The observed motion of stars close to galaxy nuclei shows that the resulting velocities are small of the order of a few hundred of km s−1. In these regions of strong gravity, the Newtonian gravitational field or even a post-Newtonian approximation may not be adequate to describe the motion of stars. In this paper, we study the possibility that the rotation curves problem may be explained mostly in the realm of Einstein's general relativity in a nearly weak field regime. By using the geodesic equations to obtain a gravitational potential generated from a point-like source, we end up in the concept of a nearly Newtonian gravity, and we show that its resulting potential responds to the dark halo mostly attributed to dark matter. We show that it comes essentially from the propagation of the non-linear effects of the obtained effective velocity field. As a test, we study a sample of 27 low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) and nine dwarf galaxies obtaining rotation curve shapes in nearly agreement with observations.

Space-time constructivism vs. modal provincialism: Or, how special relativistic theories needn't show Minkowski chronogeometry

Already in 1835 Lobachevski entertained the possibility of multiple (one might say “rival”) geometries of the same type playing a role. This idea of rival geometries has reappeared from time to time (including Poincaré and several 20th century authors) but had yet to become a key idea in space-time philosophy prior to Brown's Physical Relativity. Such ideas are emphasized towards the end of Brown's book, which I suggest as the interpretive key. A crucial difference between Brown's constructivist approach to space-time theory and orthodox “space-time realism” pertains to modal scope. Constructivism takes a broad modal scope in applying (at least) to all local classical field theories—modal cosmopolitanism, one might say, including theories with multiple geometries. By contrast the orthodox view is modally provincial in assuming that there exists a unique geometry, as the familiar theories (Newtonian gravity, Special Relativity, Nordström's gravity, and Einstein's General Relativity) have. These theories serve as the “canon” for the orthodox view. Their historical roles also suggest a Whiggish story of inevitable progress. Physics literature after c. 1920 is relevant to orthodoxy primarily as commentary on the canon, which closed in the 1910s. The orthodox view explains the spatio-temporal behavior of matter in terms of the manifestation of the real geometry of space-time, an explanation works fairly well within the canon. The orthodox view, Whiggish history, and the canon have a symbiotic relationship.If one happens to philosophize about a theory outside the canon, space-time realism sheds little light on the spatio-temporal behavior of matter. Worse, it gives the wrong answer when applied to an example arguably within the canon, a sector of Special Relativity, namely, massive scalar gravity with universal coupling. Which is the true geometry—the flat metric from the Poincaré symmetry group, the conformally flat metric exhibited by material rods and clocks, or both—or is the question faulty? How does space-time realism explain the fact that all matter fields see the same curved geometry, when so many ways to mix and match exist? Constructivist attention to dynamical details is vindicated; geometrical shortcuts can disappoint. The more exhaustive exploration of relativistic field theories in particle physics, especially massive theories, is a largely untapped resource for space-time philosophy.

On a Quantum Theory of Relativity

As expressed in terms of classical coordinates, the inertial spacetime metric that contains quantum corrections deriving from a quantum potential defined from the quantum probability amplitude is obtained to be given as an elliptic integral of the second kind that does not satisfy Lorentz transformations but a generalised invariance quantum group. Based on this result, we introduce a new, alternative procedure to quantise Einstein general relativity where the metric is also given in terms of elliptic integrals and is free from the customary problems of the current quantum models. We apply the procedure to Schwarzschild black holes and briefly analyse the results.

Dark matter: a problem in relativistic metrology?

Besides the tidal degrees of freedom of Einstein general relativity (GR) (namely the two polarizations of gravitational waves after linearization of the theory) there are the inertial gauge ones connected with the freedom in the choice of the 4-coordinates of the space-time, i.e. in the choice of the notions of time and 3-space (the 3+1 splitting of space-time) and in their use to define a non-inertial frame (the inertial ones being forbidden by the equivalence principle) by means of a set of conventions for the relativistic metrology of the space-time (like the GPS ones near the Earth).The canonical York basis of canonical ADM gravity allows us to identify the Hamiltonian inertial gauge variables in globally hyperbolic asymptotically Minkowskian space-times without super-translations and to define the family of non-harmonic Schwinger time gauges. In these 3+1 splittings of space-time the freedom in the choice of time (the problem of clock synchronization) is described by the inertial gauge variable York time (the trace of the extrinsic curvature of the instantaneous 3-spaces). This inertial gauge freedom and the non-Euclidean nature of the instantaneous 3-spaces required by the equivalence principle need to be incorporated as metrical conventions in a relativistic suitable extension of the existing (essentially Galilean) ICRS celestial reference system.In this paper I make a short review of the existing possibilities to explain the presence of dark matter (or at least of part of it) as a relativistic inertial effect induced by the non- Euclidean nature of the 3-spaces. After a Hamiltonian Post-Minkowskian (HPM) linearization of canonical ADM tetrad gravity with particles, having equal inertial and gravitational masses, as matter, followed by a Post-Newtonian (PN) expansion, we find that the Newtonian equality of inertial and gravitational masses breaks down and that the inertial gauge York time produces an increment of the inertial masses explaining at least part of what is called dark matter in all its astrophysical signatures.

Gravitational wave astronomy with radio galaxy surveys

In the next decade, new astrophysical instruments will deliver the first large-scale maps of gravitational waves (GWs) and radio sources. Therefore, it is timely to investigate the possibility to combine them to provide new and complementary ways to study the Universe. Using simulated catalogues appropriate to the planned surveys, it is possible to predict measurements of the cross-correlation between radio sources and GW maps and the effects of a stochastic GW background on galaxy maps. Effects of GWs on the large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe can be used to investigate the nature of the progenitors of merging black holes, the validity of Einstein's general relativity, models for dark energy and detect a stochastic background of GW. The results obtained show that the galaxy–GW cross-correlation can provide useful information in the near future, while the detection of tensor perturbation effects on the LSS will require instruments with capabilities beyond the currently planned next generation of radio arrays. Nevertheless, any information from the combination of galaxy surveys with the GW maps will help provide additional information for the newly born GW astronomy.

Butterfly velocity bound and reverse isoperimetric inequality

We study the butterfly effect of the AdS planar black holes in the framework of Einstein's general relativity. We find that the butterfly velocities can be expressed by a universal formula $v_{\rm B}^2 = TS/(2V_{\rm th} P)$. In doing so, we come upon a near-horizon geometrical formula for the thermodynamical volume $V_{\rm th}$. We verify the volume formula by examining a variety of AdS black holes. We also show that the volume formula implies that the conjectured reverse isoperimetric inequality follows straightforwardly from the null-energy condition, for static AdS black holes. The inequality is thus related to an upper bound of the butterfly velocities.

Stellar disruption events support the existence of the black hole event horizon

Many black hole (BH) candidates have been discovered in X-ray binaries and in the nuclei of galaxies. The prediction of Einstein's general relativity is that BHs have an event horizon --- a one-way membrane through which particles fall into the BH but cannot exit. However, except for the very few nearby supermassive BH candidates, our telescopes are unable to resolve and provide a direct proof of the event horizon. Here, we propose a novel observation that supports the existence of event horizons around supermassive BH candidates heavier than 10^{7.5} solar masses. Instead of an event horizon, if the BH candidate has a hard surface, when a star falls onto the surface, the shocked baryonic gas will form a radiation pressure supported envelope that shines at the Eddington luminosity for an extended period of time from months to years. We show that such emission has already been ruled out by the Pan-STARRS1 3pi survey if supermassive BH candidates have a hard surface at radius larger than 1 + 10^{-4.4} times the Schwarzschild radius. Future observations by LSST should be able to improve the limit to 1 + 10^{-6}.