The generic condition is generic

DOI10.1007/BF00759194MaRDI QIDQ1309030zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors John K. Beem, Steven (Stacey) G. Harris

Publication date 12 December 1993

Published in General Relativity and Gravitation (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00759194

zbMATH Keywords

general relativitygenericity conditionlinear algebraLorentz manifoldRicci tensorRiemann tensor

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Basic linear algebra (15A99) Local differential geometry of Lorentz metrics, indefinite metrics (53B30) Space-time singularities, cosmic censorship, etc. (83C75)

Review text

The authors study the usual genericity condition in general relativity for vectors at a given point of a Lorentz manifold. A vector \(X \neq 0\) is called generic if \(X^ cX^ dX_{[a}R_{b]cd[e}X_{f]}\neq 0\). This condition holds in an open, dense set of vectors. Their main result is that in a 4-dimensional Lorentz manifold the Riemann tensor vanishes (at the given point) if there are 5 non-null vectors in general position which are all non-generic. In the case that the Ricci tensor satisfies \(\text{Ric} = \lambda g\) for some \(\lambda\in\mathbb{R}\) at this point 3 linearly independent, timelike vectors (or 5 distinct non-zero null vectors) which are non-generic are sufficient to conclude that the Riemann tensor vanishes at the given point. These (and related results) are proved with the methods of linear algebra.

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Cites work

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Cited in

(7)

• Singularity theorems and their consequences
• Nongeneric null vectors
• Lorentzian causality theory
• Generic saturation
• Purely magnetic space–times
• Smoothness of compact horizons
• On the genericity of singularities in spacetimes with weakly trapped submanifolds

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