Proper Conformal Killing Vector Research Articles

Conformal symmetries in Vaidya geometry and collapse

In this paper, we perform a comprehensive analysis of conformal symmetries in the generalized Vaidya spacetime and establish several new results. First, a proper conformal Killing vector is shown to exist in the radial direction and interestingly the generalized Vaidya spacetimes with this symmetry are shown to be the subclass of those, which are embeddable in five-dimensional Euclidean space. The general form of the mass function that enables the proper and planar conformal symmetry in the [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] plane is also determined. This treatment also includes earlier results. We also consider the gravitational collapse of these spacetimes with proper planar conformal symmetry in the context of cosmic censorship conjecture. We obtain an interesting and novel result that censorship is always obeyed for these spacetimes, and no locally naked central singularity forms as the end state of the continual collapse.

Geometry of conformally symmetric generalized Vaidya spacetimes

In this paper, we consider conformally symmetric generalized Vaidya spacetimes with a composite null dust and null string matter distribution using the semi-tetrad covariant [Formula: see text] decomposition method. The important and novel result that emerges from our analysis is that all the geometric variables related to the time-like and the preferred space-like congruences are completely determined by the conformal vector and conformal factor. This result is unique to the specific matter distribution of the generalized Vaidya configuration. We further show that in the case of the pure null dust (or Vaidya) spacetime, a proper conformal Killing vector cannot be admitted.

Hidden symmetries from distortions of the conformal structure

It is well established that the mass parameter breaks the conformal symmetries in the case of geodesic motion. The proper conformal Killing vectors cease to generate conserved charges when non-null geodesics are considered. We examine how the introduction of the mass is actually related to the appearance of appropriate distortions in the conformal sector, which lead to new conservation laws. As a prominent example, we use a general pp-wave metric, which exploits this property to the maximum. We study the necessary geometric conditions, so that such types of distortions are applicable. We show that the relative vectors are generators of disformal transformations and prove their connection to higher order (hidden) symmetries. Except from the pp-wave geometry, we also provide an additional example in the form of the de Sitter metric. Again, the proper conformal Killing vectors can be appropriately distorted to generate conserved quantities for massive geodesics. Subsequently, we proceed by introducing an additional symmetry breaking effect. The latter is realized by considering a Bogoslovsky type of line element, which involves a Lorentz violating parameter. We utilize once more the pp-wave case as a guide to study how the broken symmetries---this time also related to Killing vectors---are substituted by distortions of the original generators. We further analyze and discuss the necessary geometric conditions that lead to the emergence of these distortions.

Conformal geometry on a class of embedded hypersurfaces in spacetimes

In this work, we study various geometric properties of embedded spacelike hypersurfaces in 1 + 1 + 2 decomposed spacetimes with a preferred spatial direction, denoted e μ , which are orthogonal to the fluid flow velocity of the spacetime and admit a proper conformal transformation. To ensure non-vanishing and positivity of the scalar curvature of the induced metric on the hypersurface, we impose that the scalar curvature of the conformal metric is non-negative and that the associated conformal factor φ satisfies , where denotes derivative along the preferred spatial direction. Firstly, it is demonstrated that such hypersurface is either of Einstein type or the spatial twist vanishes on them, and that the scalar curvature of the induced metric is constant. It is then proved that if the hypersurface is compact and of Einstein type and admits a proper conformal transformation, then these hypersurfaces must be isomorphic to the three-sphere, where we make use of some well known results on Riemannian manifolds admitting conformal transformations. If the hypersurface is not of Einstein type and have nowhere vanishing sheet expansion, we show that this conclusion fails. However, with the additional conditions that the scalar curvatures of the induced metric and the conformal metric coincide, the associated conformal factor is strictly negative and the third and higher order derivatives of the conformal factor vanish, the conclusion that the hypersurface is isomorphic to the three-sphere follows. Furthermore, additional results are obtained under the conditions that the scalar curvature of a metric conformal to the induced metric is also constant. Finally, we consider some of our results in context of locally rotationally symmetric spacetimes and show that, if the hypersurfaces are compact and not of Einstein type, then under specified conditions the hypersurface is isomorphic to the three-sphere, where we constructed explicit examples of proper conformal Killing vector fields along e μ .

Self-dual Einstein spaces and the general heavenly equation. Eigenfunctions as coordinates

Eigenfunctions are shown to constitute privileged coordinates of self-dual Einstein spaces with the underlying governing equation being revealed as the general heavenly equation. The formalism developed here may be used to link algorithmically a variety of known heavenly equations. In particular, the classical connection between Plebański’s first and second heavenly equations is retrieved and interpreted in terms of eigenfunctions. In addition, connections with travelling wave reductions of the recently introduced TED equation which constitutes a 4 + 4-dimensional integrable generalisation of the general heavenly equation are found. These are obtained by means of (partial) Legendre transformations. As a particular application, we prove that a large class of self-dual Einstein spaces governed by a compatible system of dispersionless Hirota equations is genuinely four-dimensional in that the (generic) metrics do not admit any (proper or non-proper) conformal Killing vectors. This generalises the known link between a particular class of self-dual Einstein spaces and the dispersionless Hirota equation encoding three-dimensional Einstein–Weyl geometries.

Conformal symmetries in generalised Vaidya spacetimes

In this paper we generate, for the first time, the most general class of conformal Killing vectors, that lies in the two dimensional subspace described by the null and radial coordinates, that are admitted by the generalised Vaidya geometry. Subsequently we find the most general class of generalised Vaidya mass functions that give rise to such conformal symmetry. From our analysis it is clear that why some well known subclasses of generalised Vaidya geometry, like pure Vaidya or charged Vaidya solutions, admit only homothetic Killing vectors but no proper conformal Killing vectors with non-constant conformal factors. We also study the gravitational collapse of generalised Vaidya spacetimes that possess proper conformal symmetry to show that if the central singularity is naked then in the vicinity of the central singularity the spacetime becomes almost self-similar. This study definitely sheds new light on the geometrical properties of generalised Vaidya spacetimes.

Constructing the CKVs of Bianchi III and V spacetimes

We determine the conformal algebra of Bianchi III and Bianchi V spacetimes or, equivalently, we determine all Bianchi III and Bianchi V spacetimes which admit a proper conformal Killing vector (CKV). The algorithm that we use has been developed in [M. Tsamparlis et al.Class. Quantum. Grav. 15, 2909 (1998)] and concerns the computation of the CKVs of decomposable spacetimes. The main point of this method is that a decomposable space admits a CKV if the reduced space admits a gradient homothetic vector, the latter being possible only if the reduced space is flat or a space of constant curvature. We apply this method in a stepwise manner starting from the two-dimensional spacetime which admits an infinite number of CKVs and we construct step by step the Bianchi III and V spacetimes by assuming that CKVs survive as we increase the dimension of the space. We find that there is only one Bianchi III and one Bianchi V spacetime which admit at maximum one proper CKV. In each case, we determine the CKV and the corresponding conformal factor. As a first application in these two spacetimes, we study the kinematics of the comoving observers and the dynamics of the corresponding cosmological fluid. As a second application, we determine in these spacetimes generators of the Lie symmetries of the wave equation.

Proper Conformal Killing Vectors in Kantowski-Sachs Metric

This paper deals with the existence of proper conformal Killing vectors (CKVs) in Kantowski-Sachs metric. Subject to some integrability conditions, the general form of vector filed generating CKVs and the conformal factor is presented. The integrability conditions are solved generally as well as in some particular cases to show that the non-conformally flat Kantowski-Sachs metric admits two proper CKVs, while it admits a 15-dimensional Lie algebra of CKVs in the case when it becomes conformally flat. The inheriting conformal Killing vectors (ICKVs), which map fluid lines conformally, are also investigated.

Proper conformal Killing vectors in static plane symmetric space–times

Conformal Killing vectors (CKVs) in static plane symmetric space–times were recently studied by Saifullah and Yazdan, who concluded by remarking that static plane symmetric space–times do not admit any proper CKV except in the case where these space–times are conformally flat. We present some non-conformally flat static plane symmetric space–time metrics admitting proper CKVs. For these space–times, we also investigate a special type of CKVs, known as inheriting CKVs.

Conformal killing vectors of plane symmetric four dimensional lorentzian manifolds

In this paper, we investigate conformal Killing vectors (CKVs) admitted by some plane symmetric spacetimes. Ten conformal Killing’s equations and their general forms of CKVs are derived along with their conformal factor. The existence of conformal Killing symmetry imposes restrictions on the metric functions. The conditions imposing restrictions on these metric functions are obtained as a set of integrability conditions. Considering the cases of time-like and inheriting CKVs, we obtain spacetimes admitting plane conformal symmetry. Integrability conditions are solved completely for some known non-conformally flat and conformally flat classes of plane symmetric spacetimes. A special vacuum plane symmetric spacetime is obtained, and it is shown that for such a metric CKVs are just the homothetic vectors (HVs). Among all the examples considered, there exists only one case with a six dimensional algebra of special CKVs admitting one proper CKV. In all other examples of non-conformally flat metrics, no proper CKV is found and CKVs are either HVs or Killing’s vectors (KVs). In each of the three cases of conformally flat metrics, a fifteen dimensional algebra of CKVs is obtained of which eight are proper CKVs.

Conformal Killing symmetries of plane-symmetric static spacetimes in teleparallel theory of gravitation

This paper explores conformal Killing vectors in teleparallel theory for the plane-symmetric static spacetime. Ten non-linear coupled teleparallel conformal Killing equations are solved to get the general form of teleparallel conformal Killing vectors and the conformal factor along with the integrability conditions. Three different possibilities are considered where the spacetime may exhibit a teleparallel conformal Killing vector. In two cases the integrability conditions are solved completely and teleparallel conformal Killing vectors are obtained along with the conformal factor for the special choice of metric functions. Another possibility reveals that no teleparallel proper conformal Killing vector exists and the spacetime admits only a teleparallel homothetic vector.

Proper conformal symmetries in self-dual Einstein spaces

Proper conformal symmetries in self-dual Einstein spaces are considered. It is shown that such symmetries are admitted only by the Einstein spaces of the type \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$[\textrm {N},-] \otimes [\textrm {N},-]$\end{document}[N,−]⊗[N,−]. Spaces of the type \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$[\textrm {N}] \otimes [-]$\end{document}[N]⊗[−] are considered in details. Existence of the proper conformal Killing vector implies existence of the isometric, covariantly constant, and null Killing vector. It is shown that there are two classes of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$[\textrm {N}] \otimes [-]$\end{document}[N]⊗[−]-metrics admitting proper conformal symmetry. They can be distinguished by analysis of the associated anti-self-dual (ASD) null strings. Both classes are analyzed in details. The problem is reduced to single linear partial differential equation (PDE). Some general and special solutions of this PDE are presented.

Curvature and Weyl collineations of Bianchi type V spacetimes

The objective of this paper is twofold: (a) First the curvature collineations of the Bianchi type V spacetimes are studied using rank argument of curvature matrix. It is found that the rank of the 6 × 6 curvature matrix is 3, 4, 5 or 6 for these spacetimes. In one of the rank 3 cases the Bianchi type V spacetime admits proper curvature collineations which form infinite dimensional Lie algebra. (b) Then the Weyl collineations of the Bianchi type V spacetimes are investigated using rank argument of the Weyl matrix. It is obtained that the rank of the 6×6 Weyl matrix for Bianchi type V spacetimes is 0, 4 or 6. It is further shown that these spacetimes do not admit proper Weyl collineations, except in the trivial rank 0 case, which obviously form infinite dimensional Lie algebra. In some special cases it is found that these spacetimes admit Weyl collineations in addition to the Killing vectors, which are in fact proper conformal Killing vectors. The obtained conformal Killing vectors form four-dimensional Lie algebra.

Conformal symmetry classes for pp-wave spacetimes

We determine conformal symmetry classes for the pp-wave spacetimes. This refines the isometry classification scheme given by Sippel and Goenner (1986 Gen. Rel. Grav. 18 1229). It is shown that every conformal Killing vector for the null fluid type N pp-wave spacetimes is a conformal Ricci collineation. The maximum number of proper non-special conformal Killing vectors in a type N pp-wave spacetime is shown to be three, and we determine the form of a particular set of type N pp-wave spacetimes admitting such conformal Killing vectors. We determine the conformal symmetries of each type N isometry class of Sippel and Goenner and present new isometry classes.

FINDING CONFORMAL KILLING VECTORS FROM THE INVARIANT CLASSIFICATION SCHEME

The invariant classification (Karlhede classification)1 of a particular spacetime fixes (up to isotropy) an intrinsic tetrad for the spacetime, in terms of the Riemann tensor and its derivatives. Exploiting this tetrad, it has been shown how to determine the number of Killing vectors which exist 2, and also whether a proper homothetic Killing vector exists 3. The first part of the talk outlined a procedure for finding explicitly homothetic and Killing vectors by exploiting the symmetry properties of the intrinsic tetrad 4,5. In general, it is not always possible to use this same tetrad to investigate proper conformal Killing vectors by the same methods. In this talk it was suggested to modify the invariant classification procedure so that only conformally invariant conditions are used for fixing the tetrad in terms of the Riemann tensor and its derivatives. This would mean that the existence of proper conformal Killing vectors could be deduced directly from the modified invariant classification scheme, and then found explicitly 6.

(Conformal) Killing Vectors in the Newman-Penrose Formalism

Finding (conformal) Killing vectors of a given metric can be a difficult task. This paper presents an efficient technique for finding Killing, homothetic, or even proper conformal Killing vectors in the Newman-Penrose (NP) formalism. Leaning on, and extending, results previously derived in the GHP formalism we show that the (conformal) Killing equations can be replaced by a set of equations involving the commutators of the Lie derivative with the four NP differential operators, applied to the four coordinates. It is crucial that these operators refer to a preferred tetrad relative to the (conformal) Killing vectors, a notion to be defined. The equations can then be readily solved for the Lie derivative of the coordinates, i.e. for the components of the (conformal) Killing vectors. Some of these equations become trivial if some coordinates are chosen intrinsically (where possible), i.e. if they are somehow tied to the Riemann tensor and its covariant derivatives. If part of the tetrad, i.e. part of null directions and gauge, can be defined intrinsically then that part is generally preferred relative to any Killing vector. This is also true relative to a homothetic vector or a proper conformal Killing vector provided we make a further restriction on that intrinsic part of the tetrad. If because of null isotropy or gauge isotropy, where part of the tetrad cannot even in principle be defined intrinsically, the tetrad is defined only up to (usually) one null rotation parameter and/or a gauge factor, then the NP-Lie equations become slightly more involved and must be solved for the Lie derivative of the null rotation parameter and/or of the gauge factor as well. However, the general method remains the same and is still much more efficient than conventional methods. Several explicit examples are given to illustrate the method.

Inheriting geodesic flows

We investigate the propagation equations for the expansion, vorticity and shear for perfect fluid space-times which are geodesic. It is assumed that space-time admits a conformal Killing vector which is inheriting so that fluid flow lines are mapped conformally. Simple constraints on the electric and magnetic parts of the Weyl tensor are found for conformal symmetry. For homothetic vectors the vorticity and shear are free; they vanish for nonhomothetic vectors. We prove a conjecture for conformal symmetries in the special case of inheriting geodesic flows: there exist no proper conformal Killing vectors (ψ ;ab ≠ 0) for perfect fluids except for Robertson-Walker space-times. For a nonhomothetic vector field the propagation of the quantity ln (R ab uaub) along the integral curves of the symmetry vector is homogeneous.

Symmetries of Bianchi I space–times

All diagonal proper Bianchi I space–times are determined which admit certain important symmetries. It is shown that for Homothetic motions, Conformal motions and Kinematic Self-Similarities the resulting space–times are defined explicitly in terms of a set of parameters, whereas Affine Collineations, Ricci Collineations, and Curvature Collineations, if they are admitted, they determine the metric modulo certain algebraic conditions. In all cases the symmetry vectors are explicitly computed. The physical and the geometrical consequences of the results are discussed and a new anisotropic fluid, physically valid solution which admits a proper conformal Killing vector, is given.

Perfect-fluid cosmologies with a proper conformal Killing vector

We study the Einstein field equations for spacetimes admitting a maximal two-dimensional Abelian group of isometries acting orthogonally transitively on spacelike surfaces and, in addition, with at least one conformal Killing vector. The three-dimensional conformal group is restricted to the case when the two-dimensional Abelian isometry subalgebra is an ideal and it is also assumed to act on non-null hypersurfaces (both spacelike and timelike cases are studied). We consider both diagonal and non-diagonal metrics, and find all the perfect-fluid solutions under these assumptions (except those already known). We find four families of solutions, each one containing arbitrary parameters for which no differential equations remain to be integrated. We write the line-elements in a simplified form and perform a detailed study for each of these solutions, giving the kinematical quantities of the fluid velocity vector, the energy density and pressure, values of the parameters for which the energy conditions are fulfilled everywhere, the Petrov type, the singularities in the spacetimes and the Friedmann - Lemaître - Robertson - Walker metrics contained in each family.

Conformal symmetries of conformal-reducible spacetimes with non-zero Weyl tensor

By using the fact that 2 + 2 reducible spacetimes which are not conformally flat can admit no proper conformal Killing vectors, it is shown how all conformal symmetries of 2 + 2 conformal reducible spacetimes, including spherically symmetric and plane symmetric spacetimes, with non-zero Weyl tensor may be found. The method applies to any spacetime which is conformal to a 2 + 2 reducible spacetime with non-zero Weyl tensor.