Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Khavkine, Igor, McNutt, David, Wylleman, Lode
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.18410
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866909269178187776
author Khavkine, Igor
McNutt, David
Wylleman, Lode
author_facet Khavkine, Igor
McNutt, David
Wylleman, Lode
contents An IDEAL characterization of a particular spacetime metric, $g_0$, consists of a set of tensorial equations $T[g] = 0$ arising from expressions constructed from the metric, $g$, its curvature tensor and its covariant derivatives and which are satisfied if and only if $g$ is locally isometric to the original metric $g_0$. Earlier applications of the IDEAL classification of spacetimes relied on the construction of particular scalar polynomial curvature invariants as an important step in the procedure. In this paper we investigate the well-known class of vacuum pp-wave spacetimes, where all scalar polynomial curvature invariants vanish, and determine the applicability of an IDEAL classification for these spacetimes. We consider a modification of the IDEAL approach which permits a corresponding extension of the Stewart-Walker lemma. With this change, we are able to construct invariants and IDEAL-ly classify all of the vacuum pp-wave solutions which admit a two- or higher-dimensional isometry group, with the exception of one case.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_18410
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle IDEAL characterization of vacuum pp-waves
Khavkine, Igor
McNutt, David
Wylleman, Lode
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Mathematical Physics
An IDEAL characterization of a particular spacetime metric, $g_0$, consists of a set of tensorial equations $T[g] = 0$ arising from expressions constructed from the metric, $g$, its curvature tensor and its covariant derivatives and which are satisfied if and only if $g$ is locally isometric to the original metric $g_0$. Earlier applications of the IDEAL classification of spacetimes relied on the construction of particular scalar polynomial curvature invariants as an important step in the procedure. In this paper we investigate the well-known class of vacuum pp-wave spacetimes, where all scalar polynomial curvature invariants vanish, and determine the applicability of an IDEAL classification for these spacetimes. We consider a modification of the IDEAL approach which permits a corresponding extension of the Stewart-Walker lemma. With this change, we are able to construct invariants and IDEAL-ly classify all of the vacuum pp-wave solutions which admit a two- or higher-dimensional isometry group, with the exception of one case.
title IDEAL characterization of vacuum pp-waves
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Mathematical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.18410