General relativity |
---|
In general relativity, the Vaidya metric describes the non-empty external spacetime of a spherically symmetric and nonrotating star which is either emitting or absorbing null dusts. It is named after the Indian physicist Prahalad Chunnilal Vaidya and constitutes the simplest non-static generalization of the non-radiative Schwarzschild solution to Einstein's field equation, and therefore is also called the "radiating(shining) Schwarzschild metric".
The Schwarzschild metric as the static and spherically symmetric solution to Einstein's equation reads
(1) |
To remove the coordinate singularity of this metric at , one could switch to the Eddington–Finkelstein coordinates. Thus, introduce the "retarded(/outgoing)" null coordinate by
(2) |
and Eq(1) could be transformed into the "retarded(/outgoing) Schwarzschild metric"
(3) |
or, we could instead employ the "advanced(/ingoing)" null coordinate by
(4) |
so Eq(1) becomes the "advanced(/ingoing) Schwarzschild metric"
(5) |
Eq(3) and Eq(5), as static and spherically symmetric solutions, are valid for both ordinary celestial objects with finite radii and singular objects such as black holes. It turns out that, it is still physically reasonable if one extends the mass parameter in Eqs(3) and Eq(5) from a constant to functions of the corresponding null coordinate, and respectively, thus
(6) |
(7) |
The extended metrics Eq(6) and Eq(7) are respectively the "retarded(/outgoing)" and "advanced(/ingoing)" Vaidya metrics. [1] [2] It is also sometimes useful to recast the Vaidya metrics Eqs(6)(7) into the form
(8) |
where represents the metric of flat spacetime: using .
As for the "retarded(/outgoing)" Vaidya metric Eq(6), [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] the Ricci tensor has only one nonzero component
(9) |
while the Ricci curvature scalar vanishes, because . Thus, according to the trace-free Einstein equation , the stress–energy tensor satisfies
(10) |
where and are null (co)vectors (c.f. Box A below). Thus, is a "pure radiation field", [1] [2] which has an energy density of . According to the null energy conditions
(11) |
we have and thus the central body is emitting radiation.
Following the calculations using Newman–Penrose (NP) formalism in Box A, the outgoing Vaidya spacetime Eq(6) is of Petrov-type D, and the nonzero components of the Weyl-NP and Ricci-NP scalars are
(12) |
It is notable that, the Vaidya field is a pure radiation field rather than electromagnetic fields. The emitted particles or energy-matter flows have zero rest mass and thus are generally called "null dusts", typically such as photons and neutrinos, but cannot be electromagnetic waves because the Maxwell-NP equations are not satisfied. By the way, the outgoing and ingoing null expansion rates for the line element Eq(6) are respectively
(13) |
Suppose , then the Lagrangian for null radial geodesics of the "retarded(/outgoing)" Vaidya spacetime Eq(6) is where dot means derivative with respect to some parameter . This Lagrangian has two solutions,
According to the definition of in Eq(2), one could find that when increases, the areal radius would increase as well for the solution , while would decrease for the solution . Thus, should be recognized as an outgoing solution while serves as an ingoing solution. Now, we can construct a complex null tetrad which is adapted to the outgoing null radial geodesics and employ the Newman–Penrose formalism for perform a full analysis of the outgoing Vaidya spacetime. Such an outgoing adapted tetrad can be set up as and the dual basis covectors are therefore
In this null tetrad, the spin coefficients are
The Weyl-NP and Ricci-NP scalars are given by
Since the only nonvanishing Weyl-NP scalar is , the "retarded(/outgoing)" Vaidya spacetime is of Petrov-type D. Also, there exists a radiation field as .
For the "retarded(/outgoing)" Schwarzschild metric Eq(3), let , and then the Lagrangian for null radial geodesics will have an outgoing solution and an ingoing solution . Similar to Box A, now set up the adapted outgoing tetrad by so the spin coefficients are and the Weyl-NP and Ricci-NP scalars are given by
The "retarded(/outgoing)" Schwarzschild spacetime is of Petrov-type D with being the only nonvanishing Weyl-NP scalar.
As for the "advanced/ingoing" Vaidya metric Eq(7), [1] [2] [6] the Ricci tensors again have one nonzero component
(14) |
and therefore and the stress–energy tensor is
(15) |
This is a pure radiation field with energy density , and once again it follows from the null energy condition Eq(11) that , so the central object is absorbing null dusts. As calculated in Box C, the nonzero Weyl-NP and Ricci-NP components of the "advanced/ingoing" Vaidya metric Eq(7) are
(16) |
Also, the outgoing and ingoing null expansion rates for the line element Eq(7) are respectively
(17) |
The advanced/ingoing Vaidya solution Eq(7) is especially useful in black-hole physics as it is one of the few existing exact dynamical solutions. For example, it is often employed to investigate the differences between different definitions of the dynamical black-hole boundaries, such as the classical event horizon and the quasilocal trapping horizon; and as shown by Eq(17), the evolutionary hypersurface is always a marginally outer trapped horizon ().
Suppose , then the Lagrangian for null radial geodesics of the "advanced(/ingoing)" Vaidya spacetime Eq(7) is which has an ingoing solution and an outgoing solution in accordance with the definition of in Eq(4). Now, we can construct a complex null tetrad which is adapted to the ingoing null radial geodesics and employ the Newman–Penrose formalism for perform a full analysis of the Vaidya spacetime. Such an ingoing adapted tetrad can be set up as and the dual basis covectors are therefore
In this null tetrad, the spin coefficients are
The Weyl-NP and Ricci-NP scalars are given by
Since the only nonvanishing Weyl-NP scalar is , the "advanced(/ingoing)" Vaidya spacetime is of Petrov-type D, and there exists a radiation field encoded into .
For the "advanced(/ingoing)" Schwarzschild metric Eq(5), still let , and then the Lagrangian for the null radial geodesics will have an ingoing solution and an outgoing solution . Similar to Box C, now set up the adapted ingoing tetrad by so the spin coefficients are and the Weyl-NP and Ricci-NP scalars are given by
The "advanced(/ingoing)" Schwarzschild spacetime is of Petrov-type D with being the only nonvanishing Weyl-NP scalar.
As a natural and simplest extension of the Schwazschild metric, the Vaidya metric still has a lot in common with it:
However, there are three clear differences between the Schwarzschild and Vaidya metric:
While the Vaidya metric is an extension of the Schwarzschild metric to include a pure radiation field, the Kinnersley metric [7] constitutes a further extension of the Vaidya metric; it describes a massive object that accelerates in recoil as it emits massless radiation anisotropically. The Kinnersley metric is a special case of the Kerr-Schild metric, and in cartesian spacetime coordinates it takes the following form:
(18) |
(19) |
(20) |
where for the duration of this section all indices shall be raised and lowered using the "flat space" metric , the "mass" is an arbitrary function of the proper-time along the mass's world line as measured using the "flat" metric, and describes the arbitrary world line of the mass, is then the four-velocity of the mass, is a "flat metric" null-vector field implicitly defined by Eqn. (20), and implicitly extends the proper-time parameter to a scalar field throughout spacetime by viewing it as constant on the outgoing light cone of the "flat" metric that emerges from the event and satisfies the identity Grinding out the Einstein tensor for the metric and integrating the outgoing energy–momentum flux "at infinity," one finds that the metric describes a mass with proper-time dependent four-momentum that emits a net <<link:0>> at a proper rate of as viewed from the mass's instantaneous rest-frame, the radiation flux has an angular distribution where and are complicated scalar functions of and their derivatives, and is the instantaneous rest-frame angle between the 3-acceleration and the outgoing null-vector. The Kinnersley metric may therefore be viewed as describing the gravitational field of an accelerating photon rocket with a very badly collimated exhaust.
In the special case where is independent of proper-time, the Kinnersley metric reduces to the Vaidya metric.
Since the radiated or absorbed matter might be electrically non-neutral, the outgoing and ingoing Vaidya metrics Eqs(6)(7) can be naturally extended to include varying electric charges,
(18) |
(19) |
Eqs(18)(19) are called the Vaidya-Bonner metrics, and apparently, they can also be regarded as extensions of the Reissner–Nordström metric, analogously to the correspondence between Vaidya and Schwarzschild metrics.
The Klein–Gordon equation is a relativistic wave equation, related to the Schrödinger equation. It is second-order in space and time and manifestly Lorentz-covariant. It is a differential equation version of the relativistic energy–momentum relation .
In physics, the Hamilton–Jacobi equation, named after William Rowan Hamilton and Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, is an alternative formulation of classical mechanics, equivalent to other formulations such as Newton's laws of motion, Lagrangian mechanics and Hamiltonian mechanics.
The Schwarzschild solution describes spacetime under the influence of a massive, non-rotating, spherically symmetric object. It is considered by some to be one of the simplest and most useful solutions to the Einstein field equations.
In physics, spherically symmetric spacetimes are commonly used to obtain analytic and numerical solutions to Einstein's field equations in the presence of radially moving matter or energy. Because spherically symmetric spacetimes are by definition irrotational, they are not realistic models of black holes in nature. However, their metrics are considerably simpler than those of rotating spacetimes, making them much easier to analyze.
In mathematics, a change of variables is a basic technique used to simplify problems in which the original variables are replaced with functions of other variables. The intent is that when expressed in new variables, the problem may become simpler, or equivalent to a better understood problem.
In theoretical physics, Nordström's theory of gravitation was a predecessor of general relativity. Strictly speaking, there were actually two distinct theories proposed by the Finnish theoretical physicist Gunnar Nordström, in 1912 and 1913 respectively. The first was quickly dismissed, but the second became the first known example of a metric theory of gravitation, in which the effects of gravitation are treated entirely in terms of the geometry of a curved spacetime.
In physics, a sigma model is a field theory that describes the field as a point particle confined to move on a fixed manifold. This manifold can be taken to be any Riemannian manifold, although it is most commonly taken to be either a Lie group or a symmetric space. The model may or may not be quantized. An example of the non-quantized version is the Skyrme model; it cannot be quantized due to non-linearities of power greater than 4. In general, sigma models admit (classical) topological soliton solutions, for example, the skyrmion for the Skyrme model. When the sigma field is coupled to a gauge field, the resulting model is described by Ginzburg–Landau theory. This article is primarily devoted to the classical field theory of the sigma model; the corresponding quantized theory is presented in the article titled "non-linear sigma model".
In theoretical physics, the Wess–Zumino model has become the first known example of an interacting four-dimensional quantum field theory with linearly realised supersymmetry. In 1974, Julius Wess and Bruno Zumino studied, using modern terminology, dynamics of a single chiral superfield whose cubic superpotential leads to a renormalizable theory. It is a special case of 4D N = 1 global supersymmetry.
In classical mechanics, Routh's procedure or Routhian mechanics is a hybrid formulation of Lagrangian mechanics and Hamiltonian mechanics developed by Edward John Routh. Correspondingly, the Routhian is the function which replaces both the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian functions. Although Routhian mechanics is equivalent to Lagrangian mechanics and Hamiltonian mechanics, and introduces no new physics, it offers an alternative way to solve mechanical problems.
In general relativity, optical scalars refer to a set of three scalar functions (expansion), (shear) and (twist/rotation/vorticity) describing the propagation of a geodesic null congruence.
The Newman–Penrose (NP) formalism is a set of notation developed by Ezra T. Newman and Roger Penrose for general relativity (GR). Their notation is an effort to treat general relativity in terms of spinor notation, which introduces complex forms of the usual variables used in GR. The NP formalism is itself a special case of the tetrad formalism, where the tensors of the theory are projected onto a complete vector basis at each point in spacetime. Usually this vector basis is chosen to reflect some symmetry of the spacetime, leading to simplified expressions for physical observables. In the case of the NP formalism, the vector basis chosen is a null tetrad: a set of four null vectors—two real, and a complex-conjugate pair. The two real members often asymptotically point radially inward and radially outward, and the formalism is well adapted to treatment of the propagation of radiation in curved spacetime. The Weyl scalars, derived from the Weyl tensor, are often used. In particular, it can be shown that one of these scalars— in the appropriate frame—encodes the outgoing gravitational radiation of an asymptotically flat system.
In the Newman–Penrose (NP) formalism of general relativity, Weyl scalars refer to a set of five complex scalars which encode the ten independent components of the Weyl tensor of a four-dimensional spacetime.
In mathematical physics, spacetime algebra (STA) is the application of Clifford algebra Cl1,3(R), or equivalently the geometric algebra G(M4) to physics. Spacetime algebra provides a "unified, coordinate-free formulation for all of relativistic physics, including the Dirac equation, Maxwell equation and General Relativity" and "reduces the mathematical divide between classical, quantum and relativistic physics."
The Carter constant is a conserved quantity for motion around black holes in the general relativistic formulation of gravity. Its SI base units are kg2⋅m4⋅s−2. Carter's constant was derived for a spinning, charged black hole by Australian theoretical physicist Brandon Carter in 1968. Carter's constant along with the energy , axial angular momentum , and particle rest mass provide the four conserved quantities necessary to uniquely determine all orbits in the Kerr–Newman spacetime.
A non-expanding horizon (NEH) is an enclosed null surface whose intrinsic structure is preserved. An NEH is the geometric prototype of an isolated horizon which describes a black hole in equilibrium with its exterior from the quasilocal perspective. It is based on the concept and geometry of NEHs that the two quasilocal definitions of black holes, weakly isolated horizons and isolated horizons, are developed.
In general relativity, the Weyl metrics are a class of static and axisymmetric solutions to Einstein's field equation. Three members in the renowned Kerr–Newman family solutions, namely the Schwarzschild, nonextremal Reissner–Nordström and extremal Reissner–Nordström metrics, can be identified as Weyl-type metrics.
Calculations in the Newman–Penrose (NP) formalism of general relativity normally begin with the construction of a complex null tetrad, where is a pair of real null vectors and is a pair of complex null vectors. These tetrad vectors respect the following normalization and metric conditions assuming the spacetime signature
In physics, the distorted Schwarzschild metric is the metric of a standard/isolated Schwarzschild spacetime exposed in external fields. In numerical simulation, the Schwarzschild metric can be distorted by almost arbitrary kinds of external energy–momentum distribution. However, in exact analysis, the mature method to distort the standard Schwarzschild metric is restricted to the framework of Weyl metrics.
Conformastatic spacetimes refer to a special class of static solutions to Einstein's equation in general relativity.
Chandrasekhar–Page equations describe the wave function of the spin-1/2 massive particles, that resulted by seeking a separable solution to the Dirac equation in Kerr metric or Kerr–Newman metric. In 1976, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar showed that a separable solution can be obtained from the Dirac equation in Kerr metric. Later, Don Page extended this work to Kerr–Newman metric, that is applicable to charged black holes. In his paper, Page notices that N. Toop also derived his results independently, as informed to him by Chandrasekhar.