Cones and causal structures on topological and differentiable manifolds

DOI10.1063/1.533108zbMATH Open0976.83003arXivgr-qc/9905106OpenAlexW3099143743MaRDI QIDQ4498505FDOQ4498505

Martin Rainer

Publication date: 16 August 2000

Published in: Journal of Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: General definitions for causal structures on manifolds of dimension d+1>2 are presented for the topological category and for any differentiable one. Locally, these are given as cone structures via local (pointwise) homeomorphic or diffeomorphic abstraction from the standard null cone variety in R^{d+1}. Weak and strong local cone (LC) structures refer to the cone itself or a manifold thickening of the cone respectively. After introducing cone (C-)causality, a causal complement with reasonable duality properties can be defined. The most common causal concepts of space-times are generalized to the present topological setting. A new notion of precausality precludes inner boundaries within future/past cones. LC-structures, C-causality, a topological causal complement, and precausality may be useful tools in conformal and background independent formulations of (algebraic) quantum field theory and quantum gravity.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9905106

zbMATH Keywords

causalityLorentzian manifoldcone structure

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Applications of global differential geometry to the sciences (53C80) Einstein's equations (general structure, canonical formalism, Cauchy problems) (83C05) Electromagnetic fields in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C50)

Cites Work

• The class of continuous timelike curves determines the topology of spacetime
• A new topology for curved space–time which incorporates the causal, differential, and conformal structures
• Null cones and pseudo-Riemannian metrics
• Lorentzian metrics from characteristic surfaces

Cited In (2)

• Covariant phase space, constraints, gauge and the Peierls formula
• Causal cones, cone preserving transformations and causal structure in special and general relativity

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