Questions tagged [lorentzian-geometry]

Lorentzian geometry is the geometry of Minkowski spacetime, hence essentially of a Euclidean space, but equipped not with the standard Euclidean Riemannian metric of signature $(+,+,+,…,+)$ (which yields Euclidean geometry) but with the pseudo-Riemannian metric of signature $(−,+,+,…,+).$

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N dimensional, not-locally Euclidean, non-Hausdorff topological space

Take a topological space $(M, \tau) $ where $\tau$ is the collection of open sets of $M$. Suppose: the Lebesgue covering dimension of this space is $N \geq 1$ Non-Hausdorff Not locally Euclidean The ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
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Question on Cauchy problem on manifolds

Let $(M,g)$ be a globally-hyperbolic manifold, i.e. $M=\mathbb{R}\times\Sigma$ and $g=-\beta^2 \, dt^2+h_{t}$. Furthermore, let $E$ be a vector bundle over $M$ and $\square$ a normally-hyperbolic ...
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Is the Gödel universe Wick rotatable?

Take Wick rotatability being as the way defined in the following article by Helleland and Hervik: Christer Helleland, Sigbjørn Hervik, Wick rotations and real GIT, Journal of Geometry and Physics 123 ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
1 vote
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How causal is a strongly causal purely electric spacetime?

Take a generic Lorentzian spacetime $(M, g)$ where $M$ is a time-oriented 4d manifold and $g$ is the Lorentzian metric that is strongly causal and purely electric. According to this answer: Is every ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
2 votes
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Is a Wick rotatable spacetime necessarily strongly causal?

There are a few viable ways to formulate Wick rotatability that preserve distinct features. One is mentioned in the post: Obtain Lorentzian manifolds from Riemannian ones by Wick rotation There's also ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
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Is every strongly causal spacetime purely electric?

Take a time 4-dimensional orinted Lorentzian manifold $(M,g)$. A spacetime is called Strongly Causal at point $p$ if and only if for every neighbourhood $U$ of the point $p$ there exists a ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
3 votes
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185 views

Decomposition of forms on manifolds

Let $(M,g)$ be a globally-hyperbolic Lorentzian manifold, i.e. $M=I\times\Sigma$ with $I\subset\mathbb{R}$ being an open interval and $\Sigma$ a spacelike smooth Cauchy hypersurface. The metric is of ...
G. Blaickner's user avatar
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Is every finite metric space representable in a pseudo-Euclidean space?

Let $X$ be a finite set with a (true) metric $d$ and $|X| = n$. Does there exist a set $Y$ of $n$ points in $R^n$ with a pseudo-Riemannian metric with signature $(n - k, k, 0)$ for some integer $k$ ...
Steve Riley's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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Is any globally-hyperbolic manifold conformally equivalent to one with complete slices?

Let $(M,g)$ be a globally-hyperbolic Lorentzian manifold. By the seminal work of Geroch and Bernal-Sánchez, we know that $$M=\mathbb{R}\times\Sigma,\,\,\,\quad g=-\beta^{2}dt^{2}+h_{t}$$ where $\Sigma$...
G. Blaickner's user avatar
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Distinguishable under manifold topology but indistinguishable under the Alexandrov topology

Take the time-oriented Lorentzian spacetime $(M, g)$ that is not strongly causal. In such case it is shown that the Alexandrov topology and the Manifolds topology deviate such that the manifold ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
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Automorphism group of a Lorentzian lattice

Consider the even integral lattices $L_n:=Z\times Z\times Z^{n-2}$ (where $Z$ is the set of integers) with elements $x=(x_+,x_-,x_d)$ and inner product $$(x,y):=x_+y_-+x_-y_++2x_d\cdot y_d.$$ Its ...
Arnold Neumaier's user avatar
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What is the nerve of this category?

If $\mathcal{C}$ is a thin category, we call $U \subseteq \mathrm{Ob}(\mathcal{C})$ open if for every object $X \in U$ and any morphism $X \to Y$, we also have $Y \in U$. This declares an Alexandrov ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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Temporal evolution of a globally hyperbolic spacetime

Any globally hyperbolic spacetime can be assigned a global function of time as Hawking has demonstrated for stably causal spacetime. (Any globally hyperbolic spacetime is also stably causal). For ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
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Is this set a manifold?

Take a general spacetime that is not strongly causal. Call this spacetime $(M, g) $ where $M$ is a connected time-oriented manifold and $g$ is the Lorentzian metric that satisfies the Einstein's Field ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
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Non-diffeomorphic but homeomorphic (under Lorentzian topology) Lorentzian manifolds

$\newcommand{\lorentzian}{\mathrm{lorentzian}}\newcommand{\lorentzian}{\mathrm{lorentzian}}\newcommand{\diff}{\mathrm{diff}}\newcommand{\manifold}{\mathrm{manifold}}$Take a time-oriented Lorentzian ...
Bastam Tajik's user avatar
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Lorentzian geometry. Comparing Honda's main theorem A construction to mine: Mixed type surfaces

This question is based on a wonderful paper by A. Honda (link below) where his main theorem A provides an incredible uniqueness result. Mixed type surfaces and type changing metrics have been ...
53Demonslayer's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
331 views

Metric with a constant Chern–Pontryagin scalar

Do there exist 3+1 dimensional spacetimes (i.e. Lorentzian manifolds with signaure (1,3)), for which the Chern–Pontryagin scalar \begin{equation} K_2= \epsilon^{\mu\nu\rho\sigma}R^{\alpha}{}_{\beta\mu\...
Michał Jan's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
262 views

Let $M$ be a manifold with a conformal structure and a volume measure. How can one reconstruct a metric on $M$ from this data in a geometric way?

Let $(M,g)$ be a (semi-)Riemannian manifold, and let $(M,[g])$ be the conformal class thereof. The following two sets are naturally torsors for the collection of positive-valued functions on $M$: The ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
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"Classifying" causally closed sets in Minkowski space

Let $M = \mathbb R^{D+1}$ be Minkowski space. Recall that the causal complement of a set $A \subseteq M$ is the set $A^\perp \subseteq M$ where $p \in A^\perp$ there is no timelike path between $p$ ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
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11 votes
1 answer
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Synthetic differential / conformal geometry of Lorentzian manifolds?

Let $M$ be a sufficiently nice Lorentzian manifold of dimension $\geq 3$. It's known [1] (see also [2]) that the differential and even conformal structure of $M$ is completely encoded in the causal ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Transporting a Cauchy foliation of Minkowski space

Consider a spacetime $(\zeta^{3,1},g)$ where $$g=\frac{du\,dv}{uv}-\frac{dr^2}{r^2}-\frac{dw^2}{w^2} \quad \forall u,v,r,w \in (0,1)$$ Now this is just Minkowski space in different coordinates (...
53Demonslayer's user avatar
5 votes
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Intersection of orbits of earthquake flow on Teichmüller space

Let $\Sigma$ be a closed oriented surface of genus $g\geq2$. We consider $\mu$ and $\nu$ two filling measured laminations on $\Sigma$. (We say that $\mu$ and $\nu$ fill $\Sigma$ if $\Sigma\setminus(\...
Atlas Tasilli's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
177 views

Decomposition of tensor field on hypersurface

Let $(\mathcal{M},g)$ be a Lorentzian manifold, which is globally of the form $\mathcal{M}\cong I\times\Sigma$, where $I\subset\mathbb{R}$ ("time") and $\Sigma$ ("space") is some $...
B.Hueber's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
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Further directions in representations of surface group into a Lie group

$\DeclareMathOperator\SL{SL}\DeclareMathOperator\PSL{PSL}$I studied the interpretation of Teichmuller space as a representation space for surface groups in $\PSL(2,\mathbb{R})$. Now I am planning to ...
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5 votes
1 answer
228 views

Space of spacelike embeddings as infinite-dimensional manifold

Consider a four-dimensional Lorentzian manifold $(\mathcal{M},g)$ and a $3$-dimensional compact manifold $\Sigma$, such that there exists a spacelike embedding $i:\Sigma\to\mathcal{M}$ so that $h:=i^{\...
G. Blaickner's user avatar
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5 votes
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$C^1$ isometries of pseudo-Riemannian metrics are smooth?

It is well known that $C^1$ (actually even just differentiable) isometries of Riemannian manifolds are actually $C^\infty$. The proof is based on the metric structure generated by the Riemannian ...
mitsutani's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
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Minimize the area of a maximal surface in R^{2,1} with boundary on the unit sphere

Let $\mathrm{H}$ be the unit sphere in the Minkowski space $\mathbb{R}^{2,1}$ (i.e., a one-sheeted hyperboloid $x_1^2+x_2^2=x_3^2+1$). Assume that $\gamma\subset \mathrm{H}$ is a closed space-like ...
Dmitry Chelkak's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
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A question on future Cauchy developement

Let us consider the Minkowski spacetime $\mathbb R^{1+2}$ equipped with the metric $$ \eta(t,x) = -(dt)^2+ (dx^1)^2+(dx^2)^2.$$ Let $\Omega$ be a bounded simply connected domain in $\mathbb R^2$ with ...
Ali's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
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Pseudometrics on world lines

Consider the space $W$ of smooth time-like curves in $\mathbb{R}^{n,1}$ with fixed ends. Given $\gamma\in W$, consider the space $T_\gamma$ of all smooth normal fields along $\gamma$; one may think ...
aglearner's user avatar
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5 votes
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Einstein metrics on spheres

We know that a closed oriented manifold $M$ carries a Lorentzian metric iff the Euler characteristic vanishes. My question concerns the existence of those Lorentzian metrics on odd-dimensional spheres ...
Julian Seipel's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
401 views

Properties that only Lorentzian manifolds have

I wonder what are some statements that although they can be formulated for pseudoriemannian manifolds of arbitrary signature they turn out to be true only in the lorentzian case. I admit things like: &...
7 votes
2 answers
262 views

In which dimensions is a strongly causal Lorentzian manifold determined conformally by its causal structure?

Let $M$ be a strongly causal Lorentzian manifold. If $M$ has dimension 4, a theorem of Hawking, King, and McCarthy (see Thm 5) says that $M$ is determined up to conformal isomorphism by its class of ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
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Decomposition of a bivector of a Lorentzian manifold [closed]

In the case of the $(1, -1, -1, -1)$ metric, a bivector (or a 2-form) $F$ decomposes uniquely as the sum of two orthogonal simple bivectors if $F^2 \ne 0$. I have the impression that it is very little ...
Fabrice Pardo's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
45 views

On certain umbilic surfaces

Let $(M,g)$ be a three dimensional Lorentzian manifold with signature $(-,+,+)$ and let $p\in M$ and let $U$ be a small neighborhood of $p$. Suppose there is a smooth timelike surface $S$ containing $...
Ali's user avatar
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5 votes
0 answers
266 views

Complete Lorentz metric on (compact) manifolds

Let $M$ be a smooth manifold that is either compact with $\chi(M)=0$ or that is non-compact. Then we can equip $M$ with a Lorentzian metric $g$. Can we always equip $M$ with a complete Lorentzian ...
Adam Chalumeau's user avatar
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Searching for a type of geometric flow in Lorentzian geometry

Let $(N,g)$ be a globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifold. Given any smooth hypersurface $\Sigma$ in $(N,g)$ we define $\|\Sigma\|= \sup_{p \in N,X \in T_p\Sigma} |h(X,X)|$ where $h$ is the second ...
Ali's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
174 views

A question on Levi-Civita connection and a fixed hyper surface

Suppose $(M,g)$ is a three dimensional smooth compact simply connected Riemannian manifold with boundary and suppose that $\Sigma$ is a smooth simply connected hypersurface in $M$ with a smooth ...
Ali's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
218 views

A question on null geodesics in Lorentzian geometry

Suppose that $(M,g)$ is a smooth Lorentzian manifold, that $I\subset \mathbb R$ is a closed finite interval and that $\gamma: I \to M$ is a smooth null geodesic on $M$, that is to say, it satisfies $$ ...
Ali's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
149 views

Hyperboloids in Minkowski geometry

Let $(\mathbb R^{1+2},\eta)$ be Minkowski with the metric $\eta= -dt^2+(dx^1)^2+(dx^2)^2$. Suppose $\Sigma$ is a smooth timelike hypersurface and denote by $h$ the second fundamental form on $\Sigma$. ...
Ali's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
206 views

A question on light cones in Lorentzian manifolds with timelike boundary

Suppose $M= \mathbb R \times M_0$ with a Lorentzian metric $g(t,x)=-dt^2+ g_0(t,x)$ where $M_0$ is a compact manifold with a smooth boundary and $g_0$ is a family of smooth Riemannian metrics on $M_0$ ...
Ali's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
353 views

Learning roadmap for Lorentzian geometry

I am asked the question in MSE, but did not get an answer. I hope that this question is appropriate for MOF. I am interested in Hyperbolic Geometry and its significance in low dimensional geometry (...
user2022's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
296 views

Conformal changes of metric and Ricci curvature

Let $(M,g)$ be a three dimensional smooth Lorentzian manifold and let $p$ be a fixed point in $M$ and let $S$ be a smooth symmetric tensor of rank two on $T_pM\times T_pM$. Does there exist a smooth ...
Ali's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
355 views

Topology on Minkowski space $\mathbb{R}^{4}$ and Lorentz invariant measure

Let us consider the Minkowski space $(\mathbb{R}^{4},\eta)$ and the mass shell $H_{m}$, $m\ge 0$, given by: \begin{eqnarray} H_{m}:=\{x=(x_{0},x_{1},x_{2},x_{3}) \in \mathbb{R}^{4}: \hspace{0.1cm} x\...
IamWill's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
224 views

On intersection of null geodesics

Let us consider a globally hyperbolic Lorentzian manifold $(M,g)$ with empty cut locus. Suppose that $p$ is a point in $M$ and consider $C^-(p)$ to be the past null cone in $M$ emanating from the ...
Ali's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
81 views

conformal changes of Lorentzian metrics

Let $M= \mathbb R \times M_0$ with $M_0$ a smooth compact manifold with smooth boundary and let $g=-dt^2+g_0(t,x)$ be a Lorentzian metric on $M$, with $g_0$ a family of Riemannian metrics on $M_0$ ...
Ali's user avatar
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8 votes
0 answers
303 views

Proving the Hawking Area Theorem without Cosmic Censorship

I notice that some of the classic results and theorems in black hole physics from the 1960s like the Hawking area theorem use the cosmic censorship hypothesis at some point in the proofs of the ...
Hollis Williams's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
152 views

stability of two-sided sectional curvature bounds in Lorentzian geometry

Suppose that $(M,g)$ is a Lorentzian manifold of signature $(-,+,\ldots,+)$. Given a two plane $\Pi=\textrm{Span}\{X,Y\}$ with $X,Y \in T_pM$, we say that $\Pi$ is non-degenerate if $$ g(X,X)g(Y,Y)-g(...
Ali's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
90 views

Arbitrary sectional curvatures at a point

Is it possible to choose a Lorentzian metric $g$ on a neighborhood of the origin in $\mathbb R^{1+n}$ so that the sectional curvature of all non-degenerate tangent timelike two planes at the origin is ...
Ali's user avatar
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7 votes
0 answers
154 views

Homotopy types of causal / chronological pathspaces in Lorentzian manifolds?

Let $M$ be a Lorentzian manifold, and let $p,q \in M$. Let $\Pi^J(p,q)$ be the space of causal paths from $p$ to $q$ (in the compact-open topology). Question 1: Is it reasonable to expect that the ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
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17 votes
1 answer
884 views

Geometric interpretation of the Weyl tensor?

The Riemann curvature tensor ${R^a}_{bcd}$ has a direct geometric interpretation in terms of parallel transport around infinitesimal loops. Question: Is there a similarly direct geometric ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
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