Null distance on a spacetime

DOI10.1088/0264-9381/33/7/085001zbMATH Open1337.83015arXiv1508.00531OpenAlexW3099671076MaRDI QIDQ2808080FDOQ2808080

Christina Sormani, Carlos Vega

Publication date: 26 May 2016

Published in: Classical and Quantum Gravity (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Given a time function $au$ on a spacetime $M$, we define a `null distance function', $hat{d}_{a}u$, built from and closely related to the causal structure of $M$. In basic models with timelike $ablaau$, we show that 1) $hat{d}_{a}u$ is a definite distance function, which induces the manifold topology, 2) the causal structure of $M$ is completely encoded in $hat{d}_{a}u$ and $au$. In general, $hat{d}_{a}u$ is a conformally invariant pseudometric, which may be indefinite. We give an `anti-Lipschitz' condition on $au$, which ensures that $hat{d}_{a}u$ is definite, and show this condition to be satisfied whenever $au$ has gradient vectors $ablaau$ almost everywhere, with $ablaau$ locally `bounded away from the light cones'. As a consequence, we show that the cosmological time function of [1] is anti-Lipschitz when `regular', and hence induces a definite null distance function. This provides what may be interpreted as a canonical metric space structure on spacetimes which emanate from a common initial singularity, e.g. a `big bang'.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1508.00531

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zbMATH Keywords

spacetimemetric geometryinitial singularityLorentzian geometrycosmological timebig bangmanifold topologynull distance

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Equations of motion in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C10) Applications of differential geometry to physics (53Z05) Einstein's equations (general structure, canonical formalism, Cauchy problems) (83C05) Space-time singularities, cosmic censorship, etc. (83C75) Relativistic cosmology (83F05) Topological characterizations of particular spaces (54F65)

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• A spacetime calculus based on a single null direction
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• Lorentzian length spaces
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• Good geodesics satisfying the timelike curvature-dimension condition
• A metric space construction for the boundary of space-time
• A Lorentzian analog for Hausdorff dimension and measure
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