Weyl Tensor Research Articles

How the magnetic field behaves during the motion of a highly conducting fluid under its own gravity: A new theoretical, relativistic approach

Within the context of general relativity we study in a fully covariant way the so-called Euler-Maxwell system of equations. In particular, on decomposing the aforementioned system into its 1 temporal and 1 + 2 spatial components at the ideal magnetohydrodynamic limit, we bring it in a simplified form that favors physical insight to the problem of a self-gravitating, magnetized fluid. Of central interest is the decomposition of Faraday's equation which leads to a new general solution governing the evolution of the magnetic field during the motion of the highly conducting fluid. According to the latter relation, the magnetic field generally grows or decays in proportion to the inverse cube law of the scale factor--associated with the continuous contraction or expansion of the fluid's volume respectively. The magnetic field's law of variation, which has remarkable implications for the motion of the whole fluid, is subsequently applied to homogeneous (anisotropic-magnetized) cosmological models--especially to the Bianchi I case--as well as to the study of homogeneous and anisotropic gravitational collapse in a magnetized environment. Concerning the cosmological application, we derive the evolution equations of Bianchi I spacetime permeated by large-scale magnetic fields (these equations reduce to their FRW counterparts at the small/large--scale limit). Also, the compatibility of the new evolution formula for the magnetic field with the standard cosmic nucleosynthesis constraint is examined. As for the application in astrophysics, our results predict that homogeneous gravitational implosion is impeded when the electric Weyl tensor (associated with tidal forces) along the magnetic forcelines overwhelms the magnetic energy density. Lastly, our model denotes that the satisfaction of the aforementioned criterion is ultimately driven into a problem of initial conditions.

Critical metrics on 4-manifolds with harmonic anti-self dual Weyl tensor

In this paper, we study 4-dimensional simply connected, compact critical metric of the volume functional with harmonic anti-self dual Weyl tensor. We show that a 4-dimensional simply connected, compact critical metric of the volume functional with harmonic anti-self dual Weyl tensor and satisfying a suitable pinching condition is isometric to a geodesic ball in a simply connected space form R4, H4 or S4.

A note on gradient Bach solitons

In this work, we study a characterization of gradient Bach solitons (M,g,f) that have a harmonic Weyl curvature, i.e., δW=0. Furthermore, we investigate complete 4-dimensional gradient Bach solitons.

Entropy, black holes, and the new cyclic universe

We track the evolution of entropy and black holes in a cyclic universe that undergoes repeated intervals of expansion followed by slow contraction and a smooth (non-singular) bounce. In this kind of cyclic scenario, there is no big crunch and no chaotic mixmaster behavior. We explain why the entropy following each bounce is naturally partitioned into near-maximal entropy in the matter-radiation sector and near-minimal in the gravitational sector, satisfying the Weyl curvature conditions conjectured to be essential for a cosmology consistent with observations. As a result, this kind of cyclic universe can undergo an unbounded number of cycles in the past and/or the future.

Editorial note to: Manfred Trümper, A threedimensional formulation of the Bianchi identities for vacuum gravitational fields

The value and use of Trümper’s formulation of the Bianchi identities in terms of the decomposition of the Weyl tensor into electric and magnetic parts are considered.

Blowing-up solutions for supercritical Yamabe problems on manifolds with umbilic boundary

We build blowing-up solutions for a supercritical perturbation of the Yamabe problem on manifolds with umbilic boundary, provided the dimension of the manifold is n≥8 and that the Weyl tensor Wg is not vanishing on ∂M.

Comprehensive quasi-Einstein spacetime with application to general relativity

The aim of this paper is to extend the notion of all known quasi-Einstein (QE) manifolds like generalized QE, mixed generalized QE manifold, pseudo generalized QE manifold and many more and name it comprehensive QE manifold [Formula: see text]. We investigate some geometric and physical properties of the comprehensive QE manifolds [Formula: see text] under certain conditions. We study the conformal and conharmonic mappings between [Formula: see text] manifolds. Then we examine the [Formula: see text] with harmonic Weyl tensor. We define the manifold of comprehensive quasi-constant curvature and prove that conformally flat [Formula: see text] is manifold of comprehensive quasi-constant curvature and vice versa. We study the general two viscous fluid spacetime [Formula: see text] and find out some important consequences about [Formula: see text]. We study [Formula: see text] with vanishing space matter tensor. Finally, we prove the existence of such manifolds by constructing nontrivial example.

Cherenkov Gravitational Radiation during the Radiation Era

Cherenkov radiation may occur whenever the source is moving faster than the waves it generates. In a radiation dominated universe, with equation-of-state w=1/3, we have recently shown that the Bardeen scalar-metric perturbations contribute to the linearized Weyl tensor in such a manner that its wavefront propagates at acoustic speed w=1/3. In this work, we explicitly compute the shape of the Bardeen Cherenkov cone and wedge generated respectively by a supersonic point mass (approximating a primordial black hole) and a straight Nambu-Goto wire (approximating a cosmic string) moving perpendicular to its length. When the black hole or cosmic string is moving at ultra-relativistic speeds, we also calculate explicitly the sudden surge of scalar-metric induced tidal forces on a pair of test particles due to the passing Cherenkov shock wave. These forces can stretch or compress, depending on the orientation of the masses relative to the shock front’s normal.

Study of stellar structures in f(ℛ,𝒯μν𝒯μν) theory

This paper deals with the dynamics of cylindrical collapse with anisotropic fluid distribution in the framework of [Formula: see text] gravity. For this purpose, we consider non-static and static cylindrical spacetimes in the inner and outer regions of a star, respectively. To match both geometries at the hypersurface, we consider the Darmois junction conditions. We use the Misner–Sharp technique to examine the impacts of correction terms and effective fluid parameters on the dynamics of a cylindrical star. A correlation between the Weyl tensor and physical quantities is also developed. The conformally flat condition is not obtained due to the influence of anisotropic pressure and higher-order nonlinear terms. Further, we assume isotropic fluid and specific model of this theory which yields the conformally flat spacetime and inhomogeneous energy density. We conclude that the collapse rate reduces as compared to general relativity due to the inclusion of effective pressure and additional terms of this theory.

Weyl Curvature Hypothesis in Light of Quantum Backreaction at Cosmological Singularities or Bounces

The Weyl curvature constitutes the radiative sector of the Riemann curvature tensor and gives a measure of the anisotropy and inhomogeneities of spacetime. Penrose’s 1979 Weyl curvature hypothesis (WCH) assumes that the universe began at a very low gravitational entropy state, corresponding to zero Weyl curvature, namely, the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) universe. This is a simple assumption with far-reaching implications. In classical general relativity, Belinsky, Khalatnikov and Lifshitz (BKL) showed in the 70s that the most general cosmological solutions of the Einstein equation are that of the inhomogeneous Kasner types, with intermittent alteration of the one direction of contraction (in the cosmological expansion phase), according to the mixmaster dynamics of Misner (M). How could WCH and BKL-M co-exist? An answer was provided in the 80s with the consideration of quantum field processes such as vacuum particle creation, which was copious at the Planck time (10−43 s), and their backreaction effects were shown to be so powerful as to rapidly damp away the irregularities in the geometry. It was proposed that the vaccum viscosity due to particle creation can act as an efficient transducer of gravitational entropy (large for BKL-M) to matter entropy, keeping the universe at that very early time in a state commensurate with the WCH. In this essay I expand the scope of that inquiry to a broader range, asking how the WCH would fare with various cosmological theories, from classical to semiclassical to quantum, focusing on their predictions near the cosmological singularities (past and future) or avoidance thereof, allowing the Universe to encounter different scenarios, such as undergoing a phase transition or a bounce. WCH is of special importance to cyclic cosmologies, because any slight irregularity toward the end of one cycle will generate greater anisotropy and inhomogeneities in the next cycle. We point out that regardless of what other processes may be present near the beginning and the end states of the universe, the backreaction effects of quantum field processes probably serve as the best guarantor of WCH because these vacuum processes are ubiquitous, powerful and efficient in dissipating the irregularities to effectively nudge the Universe to a near-zero Weyl curvature condition.

Polarized image of a Schwarzschild black hole with a thin accretion disk as photon couples to Weyl tensor

We have studied polarized image of a Schwarzschild black hole with an equatorial thin accretion disk as photon couples to Weyl tensor. The birefringence of photon originating from the coupling affect the black hole shadow, the thin disk pattern and its luminosity distribution. We also analyze the observed polarized intensity in the sky plane. The observed polarized intensity in the bright region is stronger than that in the darker region. The stronger effect of the coupling on the observed polarized vector appears only in the bright region close to black hole. These features in the polarized image could help us to understand black hole shadow, the thin accretion disk and the coupling between photon and Weyl tensor.

Higher spin de Sitter quasinormal modes

We construct higher spin quasinormal modes algebraically in D-dimensional de Sitter spacetime using the ambient space formalism. The quasinormal modes fall into two nonunitary lowest-weight representations of mathfrak{so} (1, D). From a local QFT point of view, the lowest-weight quasinormal modes of massless higher spin fields are produced by gauge-invariant boundary conserved currents and boundary higher-spin Weyl tensors inserted at the southern pole of the past boundary. We also show that the quasinormal spectrum of a massless/massive spin-s field is precisely encoded in the Harish-Chandra character corresponding to the unitary massless/massive spin-s SO(1, D) representation.

Holographic thermal correlators revisited

We study 2-point correlation functions for scalar operators in position space through holography including bulk cubic couplings as well as higher curvature couplings to the square of the Weyl tensor. We focus on scalar operators with large conformal dimensions. This allows us to use the geodesic approximation for propagators. In addition to the leading order contribution, captured by geodesics anchored at the insertion points of the operators on the boundary and probing the bulk geometry thoroughly studied in the literature, the first correction is given by a Witten diagram involving both the bulk cubic coupling and the higher curvature couplings. As a result, this correction is proportional to the VEV of a neutral operator Ok and thus probes the interior of the black hole exactly as in the case studied by Grinberg and Maldacena [13]. The form of the correction matches the general expectations in CFT and allows to identify the contributions of TnOk (being Tn the general contraction of n energy-momentum tensors) to the 2-point function. This correction is actually the leading term for off-diagonal correlators (i.e. correlators for operators of different conformal dimension), which can then be computed holographically in this way.

Renormalization group in six-derivative quantum gravity

The exact one-loop beta functions for the four-derivative terms (Weyl tensor squared, Ricci scalar squared and the Gauss-Bonnet) are derived for the minimal six-derivative quantum gravity (QG) theory in four spacetime dimensions. The calculation is performed by means of the Barvinsky and Vilkovisky generalized Schwinger-DeWitt technique. With this result we gain, for the first time, the full set of the relevant beta functions in a super-renormalizable model of QG. The complete set of renormalization group (RG) equations, including also those for the Newton and the cosmological constant, is solved explicitly in the general case and for the six-derivative Lee-Wick (LW) quantum gravity proposed in a previous paper by two of the authors. In the ultraviolet regime, the minimal theory is shown to be asymptotically free and describes free gravitons in Minkowski or (anti-) de Sitter ((A)dS) backgrounds, depending on the initial conditions for the RG equations. The ghostlike states appear in complex conjugate pairs at any energy scale consistently with the LW prescription. However, owing to the running, these ghosts may become tachyons. We argue that an extension of the theory that involves operators cubic in Riemann tensor may change the beta functions and hence be capable of overcoming this problem.

Vanishing conditions on Weyl tensor for Einstein-type manifolds

In this paper we consider an Einstein-type equation which generalizes important geometric equations, like static and critical point equations. We prove that a complete Einstein-type manifold with fourth-order divergence-free Weyl tensor and zero radial Weyl curvature is locally a warped product with $(n-1)$-dimensional Einstein fibers, provided that the potential function is proper. As a consequence, we prove a result about the nonexistence of multiple black holes in static spacetimes.

Through a black hole into a new universe

We show that an S-brane which arises in the inside of the black hole horizon when the Weyl curvature reaches the string scale induces a continuous transition between the inside of the black hole and the beginning of a new universe. This provides a simultaneous resolution of both the black hole and Big Bang singularities. In this context, the black hole information loss problem is also naturally resolved.

Free data at spacelike {mathscr {I}} and characterization of Kerr-de Sitter in all dimensions

We study the free data in the Fefferman–Graham expansion of asymptotically Einstein (n+1)-dimensional metrics with non-zero cosmological constant. We analyze the relation between the electric part of the rescaled Weyl tensor at {mathscr {I}}, D, and the free data at {mathscr {I}}, namely a certain traceless and transverse part of the n-th order coefficient of the expansion mathring{g}_{(n)}. In the case Lambda <0 and Lorentzian signature, it was known [23] that conformal flatness at {mathscr {I}} is sufficient for D and mathring{g}_{(n)} to agree up to a universal constant. We recover and extend this result to general signature and any sign of non-zero Lambda . We then explore whether conformal flatness of {mathscr {I}} is also neceesary and link this to the validity of long-standing open conjecture that no non-trivial purely magnetic Lambda -vacuum spacetimes exist. In the case of {mathscr {I}} non-conformally flat we determine a quantity constructed from an auxiliary metric which can be used to retrieve mathring{g}_{(n)} from the (now singular) electric part of the Weyl tensor. We then concentrate in the Lambda >0 case where the Cauchy problem at {mathscr {I}} of the Einstein vacuum field equations is known to be well-posed when the data at {mathscr {I}} are analytic or when the spacetime has even dimension. We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for analytic data at {mathscr {I}} to generate spacetimes with symmetries in all dimensions. These results are used to find a geometric characterization of the Kerr-de Sitter metrics in all dimensions in terms of its geometric data at null infinity.

Stability of quadratic curvature functionals at product of Einstein manifolds

We consider Riemannian functionals defined by $$L^2$$ -norms of Ricci curvature, scalar curvature, Weyl curvature, and Riemannian curvature. Rigidity, stability, and local minimizing properties of Einstein metrics as critical metrics of these quadratic functionals have been studied in 8. In this paper, we study the same for products of Einstein metrics with Einstein constants of possibly opposite signs. In particular, we show that the Riemannian product of closed Einstein manifolds $$(M_0,g_0)$$ and $$(M_1,g_1)$$ with respective Einstein constants $$\lambda (>0)$$ and $$-\lambda $$ , is unstable for certain quadratic functionals if the first eigenvalue of the Laplacian of $$(M_1,g_1)$$ is sufficiently small. We also prove the stability of $$L^{\frac{n}{2}}$$ -norm of Weyl curvature at compact quotients of $$S^n\times {\mathbb {H}}^m$$ .

A NOTE ON SPRAYS OF ISOTROPIC CURVATURE

A basic goal of this paper is to calculate, Weyl curvature of R-flat (Ricci-flat) spray of isotropic curvature and a locally projectively R-flat (Ricci-flat) spray, which is a projective invariance. Besides, the equivalents of E ̅-curvature and H-curvature that are closely related to the mean Berwald curvature have been found for a locally projectively R-flat spray of isotropic curvature.

Can a tensorial analogue of gravitational force explain away the galactic rotation curves without dark matter?

The dark matter problem is one of the most pressing problems in modern physics. As there is no well-established claim from a direct detection experiment supporting the existence of the illusive dark matter that has been postulated to explain the flat rotation curves of galaxies, and since the whole issue of an alternative theory of gravity remains controversial, it may be worth to reconsider the familiar ground of general relativity (GR) itself for a possible way out. It has recently been discovered that a skew-symmetric rank-three tensor field — the Lanczos tensor field — that generates the Weyl tensor differentially, provides a proper relativistic analogue of the Newtonian gravitational force. By taking account of its conformal invariance, the Lanczos tensor leads to a modified acceleration law which can explain, within the framework of GR itself, the flat rotation curves of galaxies without the need for any dark matter whatsoever.