Bartolomé Coll

Kerr–Schild Symmetries

We study continuous groups of generalized Kerr–Schild transformations and the vector fields that generate them in any n-dimensional manifold with a Lorentzian metric. We prove that all these vector fields can be intrinsically characterized and that they constitute a Lie algebra if the null deformation direction is fixed. The properties of these Lie algebras are briefly analyzed and we show that they are generically finite-dimensional but that they may have infinite dimension in some relevant situations. The most general vector fields of the above type are explicitly constructed for the following cases: any two-dimensional metric, the general spherically symmetric metric and deformation direction, and the flat metric with parallel or cylindrical deformation directions.

Two-dimensional approach to relativistic positioning systems

A relativistic positioning system is a physical realization of a coordinate system consisting in four clocks in arbitrary motion broadcasting their proper times. The basic elements of the relativistic positioning systems are presented in the two-dimensional case. This simplified approach allows to explain and to analyze the properties and interest of these new systems. The positioning system defined by geodesic emitters in flat metric is developed in detail. The information that the data generated by a relativistic positioning system give on the space-time metric interval is analyzed, and the interest of these results in gravimetry is pointed out.

Positioning with stationary emitters in a two-dimensional space-time

The basic elements of the relativistic positioning systems in a two-dimensional space-time have been introduced in a previous work [Phys. Rev. D 73, 084017 (2006)] where geodesic positioning systems, constituted by two geodesic emitters, have been considered in a flat space-time. Here, we want to show in what precise senses positioning systems allow to make relativistic gravimetry. For this purpose, we consider stationary positioning systems, constituted by two uniformly accelerated emitters separated by a constant distance, in two different situations: absence of gravitational field (Minkowski plane) and presence of a gravitational mass (Schwarzschild plane). The physical coordinate system constituted by the electromagnetic signals broadcasting the proper time of the emitters are the so called emission coordinates, and we show that, in such emission coordinates, the trajectories of the emitters in both situations, the absence and presence of a gravitational field, are identical. The interesting point is that, in spite of this fact, particular additional information on the system or on the user allows us not only to distinguish both space-times, but also to complete the dynamical description of emitters and user and even to measure the mass of the gravitational field. The precise information under which these dynamical and gravimetricmorexa0» results may be obtained is carefully pointed out.«xa0less

On the evolution equations for Killing fields

The problem of finding necessary and sufficient conditions on the Cauchy data for Einstein equations which insure the existence of Killing fields in a neighborhood of an initial hypersurface has been considered recently by Berezdivin, Coll, and Moncrief. Nevertheless, it can be shown that the evolution equations obtained in all these cases are of nonstrictly hyperbolic type, and, thus, the Cauchy data must belong to a special class of functions. We prove here that, for the vacuum and Einstein–Maxwell space–times and in a coordinate independent way, one can always choose, as evolution equations for the Killing fields, a strictly hyperbolic system: The above theorems can be thus extended to all Cauchy data for which the Einstein evolution problem has been proved to be well set.

Relativistic positioning systems: the emission coordinates

This paper introduces some general properties of the gravitational metric and the natural basis of vectors and covectors in four-dimensional emission coordinates. Emission coordinates are a class of spacetime coordinates defined and generated by four emitters (satellites) broadcasting their proper time by means of electromagnetic signals. They are a constitutive ingredient of the simplest conceivable relativistic positioning systems. Their study is aimed to develop a theory of these positioning systems, based on the framework and concepts of general relativity, as opposed to introducing relativistic effects in a classical framework. In particular, we characterize the causal character of the coordinate vectors, covectors and 2-planes, which are of an unusual type. We obtain the inequality conditions for the contravariant metric to be Lorentzian, and the non-trivial and unexpected identities satisfied by the angles formed by each pair of natural vectors. We also prove that the metric can be naturally split in such a way that there appear two parameters (scalar functions) dependent exclusively on the trajectory of the emitters, hence independent of the broadcasted time, and four parameters, one for each emitter, scaling linearly with the time broadcasted by the corresponding satellite, hence independent of the others.

Positioning systems in Minkowski spacetime: from emission to inertial coordinates

The coordinate transformation between emission coordinates and inertial coordinates in Minkowski spacetime is obtained for arbitrary configurations of the emitters. It appears that a positioning system always generates two different coordinate domains, namely, the front and the back emission coordinate domains. For both domains, the corresponding covariant expression of the transformation is explicitly given in terms of the emitter world lines. This task requires the notion of the orientation of an emitter configuration. The orientation is shown to be computable from the emission coordinates for the users of a central region of the front emission coordinate domain. Other spacetime regions associated with the emission coordinates are also outlined.

On the geometry of Killing and conformal tensors

The second order Killing and conformal tensors are analyzed in terms of their spectral decomposition, and some properties of the eigenvalues and the eigenspaces are shown. When the tensor is of type I with only two different eigenvalues, the condition to be a Killing or a conformal tensor is characterized in terms of its underlying almost-product structure. A canonical expression for the metrics admitting these kinds of symmetries is also presented. The space–time cases 1+3 and 2+2 are analyzed in more detail. Starting from this approach to Killing and conformal tensors a geometric interpretation of some results on quadratic first integrals of the geodesic equation in vacuum Petrov-Bel type D solutions is offered. A generalization of these results to a wider family of type D space–times is also obtained.

Three-Dimensional Metrics as Deformations of a Constant Curvature Metric

AbstractAny three-dimensional metric g may be locally obtained from a constant curvature metric, h, by a deformation like n

Relativistic Positioning Systems

g = sigma h + in s otimes s,