Geoids in general relativity: geoid quasilocal frames

DOI10.1088/0264-9381/33/10/105001zbMATH Open1338.83038arXiv1510.02858OpenAlexW3105550630WikidataQ60721004 ScholiaQ60721004MaRDI QIDQ2811454FDOQ2811454

Paul L. McGrath, Richard J. Epp, Robert B. Mann, Marius Oltean

Publication date: 10 June 2016

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

Abstract: We develop, in the context of general relativity, the notion of a geoid -- a surface of constant "gravitational potential". In particular, we show how this idea naturally emerges as a specific choice of a previously proposed, more general and operationally useful construction called a quasilocal frame -- that is, a choice of a two-parameter family of timelike worldlines comprising the worldtube boundary of the history of a finite spatial volume. We study the geometric properties of these geoid quasilocal frames, and construct solutions for them in some simple spacetimes. We then compare these results -- focusing on the computationally tractable scenario of a non-rotating body with a quadrupole perturbation -- against their counterparts in Newtonian gravity (the setting for current applications of the geoid), and we compute general-relativistic corrections to some measurable geometric quantities.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1510.02858

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zbMATH Keywords

conservation lawsgeoidgeoids in stationary axisymmetric spacetimesquasilocal framesrelativistic versus Newtonian geoids

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Applications of differential geometry to physics (53Z05) Einstein's equations (general structure, canonical formalism, Cauchy problems) (83C05) Approximation procedures, weak fields in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C25) Computational methods for problems pertaining to relativity and gravitational theory (83-08)

Cited In (2)

• Energy of cosmological spacetimes and perturbations: a quasilocal approach ^*
• Title not available (Why is that?)

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