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arXiv · 1709.07261

Raychaudhuri equation in spacetimes with torsion

Paulo Luz·Vincenzo Vitagliano
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Abstract

Given a spacetime with nonvanishing torsion, we discuss the equation for the evolution of the separation vector between infinitesimally close curves in a congruence. We show that the presence of a torsion field leads, in general, to tangent and orthogonal effects on the congruence; in particular, the presence of a completely generic torsion field contributes to a relative acceleration between test particles. We derive, for the first time in the literature, the Raychaudhuri equation for a congruence of timelike and null curves in a spacetime with the most generic torsion field.

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Paulo Luz, Vincenzo Vitagliano. 2017-09-21. Raychaudhuri equation in spacetimes with torsion. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.96.024021

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