Cones and causal structures on topological and differentiable manifolds

DOI10.1063/1.533108MaRDI QIDQ4498505zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Martin Rainer

Publication date 16 August 2000

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

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)

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.

Recommendations

• Causality theory for closed cone structures with applications
• Causal cones, cone preserving transformations and causal structure in special and general relativity
• Causal relationship: a new tool for the causal characterization of Lorentzian manifolds
• Causal structures and causal boundaries

Cites work

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

Cited in

(5)

• Causal structures and causal boundaries
• Causality theory for closed cone structures with applications
• Causal relationship: a new tool for the causal characterization of Lorentzian manifolds
• Covariant phase space, constraints, gauge and the Peierls formula
• Causal cones, cone preserving transformations and causal structure in special and general relativity

This page was built for publication: Cones and causal structures on topological and differentiable manifolds

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q4498505)