Timelike Hilbert and Funk geometries

DOI10.1016/J.DIFGEO.2019.101554MaRDI QIDQ2327997zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Sumio Yamada, Athanase Papadopoulos

Publication date 8 October 2019

Published in Differential Geometry and its Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1602.07072

G-spaces of Busemann metric partial order time-like Finsler space time-like Funk space time-like Hilbert space time-like Minkowski space time-like space

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Geodesics in global differential geometry (53C22) Global differential geometry of Lorentz manifolds, manifolds with indefinite metrics (53C50) Direct methods ((G)-spaces of Busemann, etc.) (53C70)

Abstract: A timelike space is a Hausdorff topological space equipped with a partial order relation

<

and a distance function

h o

satisfying a collection of axioms including a set of compatibility conditions between the partial order relation and the distance function. The distance function is defined only on a subset of the product of the space with itself that contains the diagonal, namely,

h o (x, y)

is defined if and only if

x < y

or

x = y

. Distances between pairs of distinct points in a triple

x, y, z

, whenever these distances are defined, satisfy the so-called emph{time inequality}, which is a reverse triangle inequality

h o (x, y) + h o (y, z) l e q h o (z, y)

. In the 1960s, Herbert Busemann developed an axiomatic theory of timelike spaces and of locally timelike spaces. His motivation comes from the geometry underlying the theory of relativity, and he tried to adapt to this setting his geometric theory of metric spaces, namely, his theory of

G

-spaces (geodesic spaces). The classical example he considers is the

n

-dimensional Lorentzian space. Two other interesting classes of examples of timelike spaces he introduced are the timelike analogues of the Funk and Hilbert geometries. In this paper, we investigate these two geometries, and in doing this, we introduce variants of them, in particular the timelike relative Funk and Hilbert geometries, in the Euclidean and spherical settings. We describe the Finsler infinitesimal structure of each of these geometries (with an appropriate notion of Finsler structure) and we display the interactions among the Euclidean and timelike spherical geometries. In particular, we characterize the de Sitter geometry as a special case of a timelike spherical Hilbert geometry. The final version of this paper will appear in Differential Geometry and its Applications.

Review text

In [Math. Ann. 101, 226--237 (1929; JFM 55.1043.01)], \textit{P. Funk} introduced a distance \(d_{\Omega }\) on a proper convex set \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^{n}\). Later, H. Busemann used the name `Funk metric' for \(d_{\Omega }\) (in general, \(d_{\Omega }\) is not a metric). The Funk metric provides an example of a Finsler structure. \textit{H. Busemann} [Diss. Math. 53, 52 p. (1967; Zbl 0156.43201)] developed synthetic theory of time-like spaces. In particular, H. Busemann generalized Minkowski and Funk geometries to their time-like analogues. The authors study time-like Euclidean Hilbert, time-like Euclidean Funk, time-like hyperbolic Funk geometries and also time-like spherical Hilbert and time-like spherical Funk geometries. The main results are concerned with geodesics in such spaces and the convexity properties of these spaces. Also, the authors establish that these time-like spaces are time-like Finsler spaces, i.e., the distance between two points infinitesimally is given by a time-like Minkowski norm. In addition, the authors obtain a description of de Sitter space as a special case of a time-like spherical Hilbert geometry.

Recommendations

Cites work

Cited in

(4)

This page was built for publication: Timelike Hilbert and Funk geometries

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q2327997)