Penrose limits of homogeneous spaces (Q2496755)

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.