Segre types of symmetric two-tensors in \(n\)-dimensional spacetimes (Q1900435)

The authors consider the algebraic classification of a second-order symmetric tensor \(R_{ab}\) at a point \(p\) in an \(n\)-dimensional manifold \(M\) admitting a metric \(g\) of Lorentz signature \((- +++ \dots +)\). Firstly they review the theory of the Jordan canonical forms and then cast the algebraic classification in terms of the Jordan types for the matrix \(R^{a}_{b}\) \((\equiv g^{ac} R_{cb})\) regarded as a linear transformation on the tangent space \(T_p M\) to \(M\) at \(p\). Preliminary ``lemmas'' show that, if all the eigenvalues are real, no Jordan block in the resulting canonical Jordan types can be of order \(\geq 4\) and that at most one block can have order \(\geq 1\). The case when complex eigenvalues occur is dealt with using the invariant 2-spaces of the corresponding linear transformation on \(T_p M\). The final possible types, in Segre notation, are found to be \(\{1\;1\;1 \dots 1\}\), \(\{z\;\overline {z} 1\;1 \dots 1\}\), \(\{2\;1\;1 \dots 1\}\) and \(\{3\;1\;1 \dots 1\}\) in an obvious notation. The reviewer assumes that \(n\geq 3\) (the cases \(n=3\) and \(n=4\) are known and referred to in the paper). The derivation is from first principles (and in fact a simpler approach is possible and can be found for \(n=5\) in a preprint written by the reviewer and the above three authors).