Timelike isometries and Killing fields (Q1104570): Difference between revisions

An isometry \(\phi: (M,g)\to (M,g)\) on a connected spacetime M, is defined to be future time-like if it maps each point of (M,g) either to itself or to a point of its chronological future. Next the displacement function f associated with \(\phi\) is defined by \(f(p)=d(p,\phi(p))\) and one denotes by \(J^+(p)\) the causal future of p. A strongly causal spacetime such that \(J^+(p)\cap J^-(q)\) is compact for all \(p,q\in M\) is globally hyperbolic. Based on these definitions the authors prove the following basic theorem. Let (M,g) be a globally hyperbolic, future 1-connected spacetime with all time-like sectional curvatures \(\geq 0\). Let \(\phi: (M,g)\to (M,g)\) be a future time-like isometry which is not the identity. Then either \(\phi\) is a Clifford translation (i.e. \(d(p,\phi (p))=\)const. for all \(p\in M)\) or else (M,g) is time-like, null and space-like geodesically incomplete.