Optical geometries (Q6976667)

An optical structure on a Lorentzian manifold \((\mathcal{M},g)\) of dimension \(n+2\) is a reduction of the structure group of the frame bundle to \(\mathrm{Sim}(n)\), the stabilizer of a null direction in \(\mathbb{R}^{n+1,1}\). Equivalently, \((\mathcal{M},g)\) is equipped with a null line distribution \(K\).\N\NThe paper under review provides a formal approach to well-known concepts of mathematical relativity in relation with congruences of null curves, i.e., the foliation tangent to \(K\), using optical structures. Moreover, it lays out foundational material for further work in which the structure group of the frame bundle is reduced further to a subgroup of \(\mathrm{Sim}(n)\) when \(n=2m\). In particular, it should be viewed as an introductory article to the follow-up paper by the same authors [Lett. Math. Phys. 113, No. 3, Paper No. 56, 103 p. (2023; Zbl 1526.53065)] on almost Robinson manifolds, where the structure group is reduced to \((\mathbb{R}^{*}\times \mathrm{U}(m))\ltimes \mathbb{R}^{n}\).