The simplicial Ricci tensor

DOI10.1088/0264-9381/28/15/155007MaRDI QIDQ3091910zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors J. R. McDonald, Paul M. Alsing, Warner A. Miller

Publication date 14 September 2011

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

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1107.2458

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Lattice gravity, Regge calculus and other discrete methods in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C27) Relativistic gravitational theories other than Einstein's, including asymmetric field theories (83D05) Kaluza-Klein and other higher-dimensional theories (83E15)

Abstract: The Ricci tensor (Ric) is fundamental to Einstein's geometric theory of gravitation. The 3-dimensional Ric of a spacelike surface vanishes at the moment of time symmetry for vacuum spacetimes. The 4-dimensional Ric is the Einstein tensor for such spacetimes. More recently the Ric was used by Hamilton to define a non-linear, diffusive Ricci flow (RF) that was fundamental to Perelman's proof of the Poincare conjecture. Analytic applications of RF can be found in many fields including general relativity and mathematics. Numerically it has been applied broadly to communication networks, medical physics, computer design and more. In this paper, we use Regge calculus (RC) to provide the first geometric discretization of the Ric. This result is fundamental for higher-dimensional generalizations of discrete RF. We construct this tensor on both the simplicial lattice and its dual and prove their equivalence. We show that the Ric is an edge-based weighted average of deficit divided by an edge-based weighted average of dual area -- an expression similar to the vertex-based weighted average of the scalar curvature reported recently. We use this Ric in a third and independent geometric derivation of the RC Einstein tensor in arbitrary dimension.

Recommendations

• Simplicial Ricci flow
• A Kirchhoff-like conservation law in Regge calculus
• Piecewise flat curvature and Ricci flow in three dimensions
• Simplicial Ricci flow: an example of a neck pinch singularity in 3D
• A realization of Thurston's geometrization: discrete Ricci flow with surgery

Cited in

(13)

• On the deformation of ball packings
• A combinatorial Yamabe problem on two and three dimensional manifolds
• Simplicial Ricci flow
• Metric Ricci curvature for \(PL\) manifolds
• Equivalence of simplicial Ricci flow and Hamilton's Ricci flow for 3D neckpinch geometries
• -curvatures and -flows on low dimensional triangulated manifolds
• Forman curvature for complex networks
• A geometric construction of the Riemann scalar curvature in Regge calculus
• The Riemann and extrinsic curvature tensors in the Regge calculus
• High-order approximation of Gaussian curvature with Regge finite elements
• Approximate Killing symmetries in non-perturbative quantum gravity
• Conformal variations and quantum fluctuations in discrete gravity
• Geometric triangulations and discrete Laplacians on manifolds: an update

This page was built for publication: The simplicial Ricci tensor

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q3091910)