Ricci collineations for type \(B\) warped space-times (Q1384846)

Let \(M\) be a spacetime and \(X\) a vector field on \(M\). Then \(X\) is called a Ricci collineation if \(L_XR_{ab}= 0\), where \(R_{ab}\) is the Ricci tensor. In this paper, the authors study Ricci collineations on a certain type (``type \(B\) warped product'') of spacetime. In these spacetimes a local chart may be chosen which is ``almost'' the metric product of two 2-dimensional manifolds \(M_1\) and \(M_2\), and the metric (in an obvious notation) is \[ ds^2= h_{AB}(x^c)dx^A dx^B+ \varphi^2(x^A) h_{\alpha\beta}(x^\gamma)dx^\alpha dx^\beta, \] where indices \(A,B,C= 1,2\) and \(\alpha,\beta,\gamma= 3,4\). Thus \(h_{AB}\) and \(h_{\alpha\beta}\) may be interpreted as the metrics on \(M_1\), \(M_2\), respectively. If \(X\) is a Ricci collineation, then the authors decompose \(X\) along \(M_1\) and \(M_2\) as \(X= X_1+ X_2\) and it turns out that \(X_2\) is then a conformal vector field of the metric on \(M_2\). Considering those cases where \(X_2\) is homothetic in \(M_2\), they apply their results to spherically symmetric spacetimes and, in particular, to the static and Robertson-Walker cases.