arXiv subjects

D. McNutt

Publications and source records attributed to D. McNutt.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Where are linearized gauge invariants encoded for plane waves in linearized gravity?

The Newman--Penrose (NP) formalism is traditionally used to analyze the polarization content of gravitational waves, while the gauge-invariant Bardeen formalism provides a complementary, and often simpler, description based on the irreducible scalar, vector, and tensor perturbations of the metric. In this work we apply the Bardeen formalism to plane gravitational waves in Minkowski spacetime, computing all scalar, vector, and tensor gauge-invariant variables explicitly and demonstrating that only the two transverse-traceless tensor modes survive, as expected for vacuum waves in general relativity. We then compare these Bardeen variables with curvature-based invariants constructed using the linearized Cartan--Karlhede (CK) algorithm. Although one might anticipate a correspondence, our analysis shows that the CK invariants do \emph{not} capture the polarization modes: the Weyl tensor possesses only a single non-zero Newman--Penrose scalar and the CK algorithm terminates without producing invariants that distinguish the $\oplus$ and $\otimes$ states. However, by computing invariant quantities obtained from the translational Killing vector fields of the Minkowski background that are retained under linear perturbation, we provide an algorithmic approach that reproduces the same physical tensor degrees of freedom captured by the Bardeen variables.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Unique Carrollian manifolds emerging from Einstein spacetimes

We explicitly determine all shear-free null hypersurfaces embedded in an Einstein spacetime, including vacuum asymptotically flat spacetimes. We characterize these hypersurfaces as oriented 3-dimensional manifolds where each is equipped with a coframe basis, a structure group and a connection. Such manifolds are known as null hypersurface structures (NHSs). The coframe and connection one-forms for an NHS appear as solutions to the projection of the Cartan structure equations onto the null hypersurface. We then show that each NHS corresponds to a Carrollian structure equipped with a unique pair of Ehresmann connection and affine connection.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Killing Invariants: An approach to the sub-classification of geometries with symmetry

In principle, the local classification of spacetimes is always possible using the Cartan-Karlhede algorithm. However, in practice, the process of determining equivalence of two spacetimes is potentially computationally difficult or not at all possible. This difficulty will arise whenever the classifying invariants are either high-degree rational functions or depend on transcendental functions without standard inverses. In the case that spacetimes admit Killing vectors with non-trivial orbits, we propose a new set of invariant quantities, called Killing invariants. These invariants will allow for the sub-classification of spacetimes admitting the same group of symmetries and will, in principle, be substantially less complicated than any other known set. We apply this approach to the class of static spherically symmetric geometries as an illustrative example.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Locally Homogeneous Kundt Triples and CSI Metrics

A pseudo-Riemannian manifold is called CSI if all scalar polynomial invariants constructed from the curvature tensor and its covariant derivatives are constant. In the Lorentzian case, the CSI spacetimes have been studied extensively due to their application to gravity theories. It is conjectured that a CSI spacetime is either locally homogeneous or belongs to the subclass of degenerate Kundt metrics. Independent of this conjecture, any CSI spacetime can be related to a particular locally homogeneous degenerate Kundt metric sharing the same scalar polynomial curvature invariants. In this paper we will invariantly classify the entire subclass of locally homogeneous CSI Kundt spacetimes which are of alignment type {\bf D} to all orders and show that any other CSI Kundt metric can be constructed from them.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Locally Boost Isotropic Spacetimes and the Type ${\bf D}^k$ Condition

We consider the class of locally boost isotropic spacetimes in arbitrary dimension. For any spacetime with boost isotropy, the corresponding curvature tensor and all of its covariant derivatives must be simultaneously of alignment type ${\bf D}$ relative to some common null frame. Such spacetimes are known as type ${\bf D}^k$ spacetimes and are contained within the subclass of degenerate Kundt spacetimes. Although, these spacetimes are $\mathcal{I}$-degenerate, it is possible to distinguish any two type ${\bf D}^k$ spacetimes, as the curvature tensor and its covariant derivatives can be characterized by the set of scalar polynomial curvature invariants for any type ${\bf D}^k$ spacetime. In this paper we find all type ${\bf D}^k$ spacetimes by identifying degenerate Kundt metrics that are of type ${\bf D}^k$ and determining the precise conditions on the metric functions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

CCNV Space-Times as Potential Supergravity Solutions

It is of interest to study supergravity solutions preserving a non-minimal fraction of supersymmetries. A necessary condition for supersymmetry to be preserved is that the spacetime admits a Killing spinor and hence a null or timelike Killing vector field. Any spacetime admitting a covariantly constant null vector field ($CCNV$) belongs to the Kundt class of metrics, and more importantly admits a null Killing vector field. We investigate the existence of additional non-spacelike isometries in the class of higher-dimensional $CCNV$ Kundt metrics in order to produce potential solutions that preserve some supersymmetries.

math.DG↗

arXiv2015

Mathematical Properties of a Class of Four-dimensional Neutral Signature Metrics

While the Lorenzian and Riemanian metrics for which all polynomial scalar curvature invariants vanish (the VSI property) are well-studied, less is known about the four-dimensional neutral signature metrics with the VSI property. Recently it was shown that the neutral signature metrics belong to two distinct subclasses: the Walker and Kundt metrics. In this paper we have chosen an example from each of the two subcases of the Ricci-flat VSI Walker metrics respectively. To investigate the difference between the metrics we determine the existence of a null, geodesic, expansion-free, shear-free and vorticity-free vector, and classify these spaces using their infinitesimal holonomy algebras. The geometric implications of the holonomy algebras are further studied by identifying the recurrent or covariantly constant null vectors, whose existence is required by the holonomy structure in each example. We conclude the paper with a simple example of the equivalence algorithm for these pseudo-Riemannian manifolds, which is the only approach to classification that provides all necessary information to determine equivalence.

math.DG↗