Penrose limits of homogeneous spaces (Q2496755): Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 22:28, 19 March 2024
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English | Penrose limits of homogeneous spaces |
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Penrose limits of homogeneous spaces (English)
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20 July 2006
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R. Penrose proposed a method to define a limit \(P(M)\) of any Lorentzian manifold \(M\) which is a plane wave (Lorentzian) space. The method involves ``zooming in'' on a null geodesic \(\gamma\) of \(M\) in such a way that the metric remains non-degenerate. The author studies properties of the Penrose limit \(P(M)\) of homogeneous Lorentzian manifolds \(M\) along a null geodesic. In general, the Penrose limit \(P(L)\) of a homogeneous manifold \(M\) is not a homogeneous manifold. The author gives necessary and sufficient conditions when it is the case. He proves, in particular, that the Penrose limit of a Lorentzian manifold along a homogeneous geodesic is a homogeneous plane wave space and the Penrose limit \(P(M)\) of a reductive homogeneous manifold \(M\) along a homogeneous geodesic \(\gamma\) is a reductive homogeneous plane wave space. Moreover, \(P(M)\) is a naturally reductive plane wave space if \(\gamma(t)\) is an absolutely homogeneous geodesic (that is it can be identified with an orbit of a 1-parameter group of isometries as a parameterized curve). The author considers examples of non-homogeneous manifolds which have a homogeneous Penrose limit and the Penrose limit of the homogeneous Kaigorodov space which is not homogeneous. He notes that all 4-dimensional homogeneous Lorentzian manifolds have a homogeneous null geodesic, but not all of them have an absolute homogeneous null geodesic.
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homogeneous Lorentzian manifolds
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Penrose limit
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plane wave spacetimes
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