Initial data sets with vanishing mass are contained in pp-wave spacetimes

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hirsch, Sven, Zhang, Yiyue
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911169780908032
author Hirsch, Sven
Zhang, Yiyue
author_facet Hirsch, Sven
Zhang, Yiyue
contents In 1981, Schoen-Yau and Witten showed that in General Relativity both the total energy $E$ and the total mass $m$ of an initial data set modeling an isolated gravitational system are non-negative. Moreover, if $E=0$, the initial data set must be contained in Minkowski space. In this paper, we show that if $m=0$, i.e. if $E$ equals the total momentum $|P|$, the initial data set must be contained in a pp-wave spacetime. Our proof combines spinorial methods with spacetime harmonic functions and works in all dimensions. Additionally, we find the decay rate threshold where the embedding has to be within Minkowski space and construct non-vacuum initial data sets with $m=0$ in the borderline case. As a consequence, this completely settles the rigidity of the spacetime positive mass theorem for spin manifolds.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_15984
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Initial data sets with vanishing mass are contained in pp-wave spacetimes
Hirsch, Sven
Zhang, Yiyue
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Analysis of PDEs
Differential Geometry
In 1981, Schoen-Yau and Witten showed that in General Relativity both the total energy $E$ and the total mass $m$ of an initial data set modeling an isolated gravitational system are non-negative. Moreover, if $E=0$, the initial data set must be contained in Minkowski space. In this paper, we show that if $m=0$, i.e. if $E$ equals the total momentum $|P|$, the initial data set must be contained in a pp-wave spacetime. Our proof combines spinorial methods with spacetime harmonic functions and works in all dimensions. Additionally, we find the decay rate threshold where the embedding has to be within Minkowski space and construct non-vacuum initial data sets with $m=0$ in the borderline case. As a consequence, this completely settles the rigidity of the spacetime positive mass theorem for spin manifolds.
title Initial data sets with vanishing mass are contained in pp-wave spacetimes
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Analysis of PDEs
Differential Geometry
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.15984