arXiv subjects

Donato Bini

Publications and source records attributed to Donato Bini.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Gravitational induction

We study the linear post-Newtonian approximation to general relativity known as gravitoelectromagnetism (GEM); in particular, we examine the similarities and differences between GEM and electrodynamics. Notwithstanding some significant differences between them, we find that a special nonstationary metric in GEM can be employed to show {\it explicitly} that it is possible to introduce gravitational induction within GEM in close analogy with Faraday's law of induction and Lenz's law in electrodynamics. Some of the physical implications of gravitational induction are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2008

Emission vs Fermi coordinates: applications to relativistic positioning systems

A 4-dimensional relativistic positioning system for a general spacetime is constructed by using the so called "emission coordinates". The results apply in a small region around the world line of an accelerated observer carrying a Fermi triad, as described by the Fermi metric. In the case of a Schwarzschild spacetime modeling the gravitational field around the Earth and an observer at rest at a fixed spacetime point, these coordinates realize a relativistic positioning system alternative to the current GPS system. The latter is indeed essentially conceived as Newtonian, so that it necessarily needs taking into account at least the most important relativistic effects through Post-Newtonian corrections to work properly. Previous results concerning emission coordinates in flat spacetime are thus extended to this more general situation. Furthermore, the mapping between spacetime coordinates and emission coordinates is completely determined by means of the world function, which in the case of a Fermi metric can be explicitly obtained.

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arXiv2008

The general relativistic Poynting-Robertson effect

The general relativistic version is developed for Robertson's discussion of the Poynting-Robertson effect that he based on special relativity and Newtonian gravity for point radiation sources like stars. The general relativistic model uses a test radiation field of photons in outward radial motion with zero angular momentum in the equatorial plane of the exterior Schwarzschild or Kerr spacetime.

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arXiv2007

The Lifshitz-Khalatnikov Kasner index parametrization and the Weyl Tensor

The scale invariant Petrov classification of the Weyl tensor is linked to the scale invariant combination of the Kasner index constraints, and the Lifshitz-Khalatnikov Kasner index parametrization scheme turns out to be a natural way of adapting to this symmetry, while hiding the permutation symmetry that is instead made manifest by the Misner parametrization scheme. While not so interesting for the Kasner spacetime by itself, it gives a geometrical meaning to the famous Kasner map transitioning between Kasner epochs and Kasner eras, equivalently bouncing between curvature walls, in the BLK-Mixmaster dynamics exhibited by spatially homogeneous cosmologies approaching the initial cosmological singularity and the inhomogeneous generalization of this dynamics.

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arXiv2007

Spin-rotation couplings: spinning test particles and Dirac field

The hypothesis of coupling between spin and rotation introduced long ago by Mashhoon is examined in the context of "1+3" and "3+1" space-time splitting techniques, either in special or in general relativity. Its content is discussed in terms of classical (Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon-Souriou model) as well as quantum physics (Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation for the Dirac field in an external field), reviewing and discussing all the relevant theoretical literature concerning the existence of such effect. Some original contributions are also included.

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arXiv2006

Charged massive particle at rest in the field of a Reissner-Nordström black hole

The interaction of a Reissner-Nordström black hole and a charged massive particle is studied in the framework of perturbation theory. The particle backreaction is taken into account, studying the effect of general static perturbations of the hole following the approach of Zerilli. The solutions of the combined Einstein-Maxwell equations for both perturbed gravitational and electromagnetic fields at first order of the perturbation are exactly reconstructed by summing all multipoles, and are given explicit closed form expressions. The existence of a singularity-free solution of the Einstein-Maxwell system requires that the charge to mass ratios of the black hole and of the particle satisfy an equilibrium condition which is in general dependent on the separation between the two bodies. If the black hole is undercritically charged (i.e. its charge to mass ratio is less than one), the particle must be overcritically charged, in the sense that the particle must have a charge to mass ratio greater than one. If the charge to mass ratios of the black hole and of the particle are both equal to one (so that they are both critically charged, or "extreme"), the equilibrium can exist for any separation distance, and the solution we find coincides with the linearization in the present context of the well known Majumdar-Papapetrou solution for two extreme Reissner-Nordström black holes. In addition to these singularity-free solutions, we also analyze the corresponding solution for the problem of a massive particle at rest near a Schwarzschild black hole, exhibiting a strut singularity on the axis between the two bodies. The relations between our perturbative solutions and the corresponding exact two-body solutions belonging to the Weyl class are also discussed.

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arXiv2006

Massless spinning test particles in vacuum algebraically special spacetimes

The motion of massless spinning test particles is investigated using the Newman-Penrose formalism within the Mathisson-Papapetrou model extended to massless particles by Mashhoon and supplemented by the Pirani condition. When the "multipole reduction world line" lies along a principal null direction of an algebraically special vacuum spacetime, the equations of motion can be explicitly integrated. Examples are given for some familiar spacetimes of this type in the interest of shedding some light on the consequences of this model.

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arXiv2005

Kerr metric, static observers and Fermi coordinates

The coordinate transformation which maps the Kerr metric written in standard Boyer-Lindquist coordinates to its corresponding form adapted to the natural local coordinates of an observer at rest at a fixed position in the equatorial plane, i.e., Fermi coordinates for the neighborhood of a static observer world line, is derived and discussed in a way which extends to any uniformly circularly orbiting observer there.

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arXiv2005

Spin precession in the Schwarzschild spacetime: circular orbits

We study the behavior of nonzero rest mass spinning test particles moving along circular orbits in the Schwarzschild spacetime in the case in which the components of the spin tensor are allowed to vary along the orbit, generalizing some previous work.

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arXiv2005

Periastron shift in Weyl class spacetimes

The periastron position advance for geodesic motion in axially symmetric solutions of the Einstein field equations belonging to the Weyl class of vacuum solutions is investigated. Explicit examples corresponding to either static solutions (single Chazy-Curzon, Schwarzschild and a pair of them), or stationary solution (single rotating Chazy-Curzon and Kerr black hole) are discussed. The results are then applied to the case of S2-SgrA$^*$ binary system of which the periastron position advance will be soon measured with a great accuracy.

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arXiv2004

Limitations of Radar Coordinates

The construction of a radar coordinate system about the world line of an observer is discussed. Radar coordinates for a hyperbolic observer as well as a uniformly rotating observer are described in detail. The utility of the notion of radar distance and the admissibility of radar coordinates are investigated. Our results provide a critical assessment of the physical significance of radar coordinates.

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arXiv2004

Spinning particles in the vacuum C metric

The motion of a spinning test particle given by the Mathisson-Papapetrou equations is studied on an exterior vacuum C metric background spacetime describing the accelerated motion of a spherically symmetric gravitational source. We consider circular orbits of the particle around the direction of acceleration of the source. The symmetries of this configuration lead to the reduction of the differential equations of motion to algebraic relations. The spin supplementary conditions as well as the coupling between the spin of the particle and the acceleration of the source are discussed.

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arXiv2004

Stationary spacetimes and the Simon tensor

For stationary vacuum spacetimes the Bianchi identities of the second kind equate the Simon tensor to the Simon-Mars tensor, the latter having a clear geometrical interpretation. The equivalence of these two tensors is broken in the nonvacuum case by additional source energy-momentum terms, but absorbing these source terms into a redefinition of the Simon tensor restores the equality. Explicit examples are discussed for electrovacuum and rigidly rotating matter fields.

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arXiv2004

Spinning test particles and clock effect in Schwarzschild spacetime

We study the behaviour of spinning test particles in the Schwarzschild spacetime. Using Mathisson-Papapetrou equations of motion we confine our attention to spatially circular orbits and search for observable effects which could eventually discriminate among the standard supplementary conditions namely the Corinaldesi-Papapetrou, Pirani and Tulczyjew. We find that if the world line chosen for the multipole reduction and whose unit tangent we denote as $U$ is a circular orbit then also the generalized momentum $P$ of the spinning test particle is tangent to a circular orbit even though $P$ and $U$ are not parallel four-vectors. These orbits are shown to exist because the spin induced tidal forces provide the required acceleration no matter what supplementary condition we select. Of course, in the limit of a small spin the particle's orbit is close of being a circular geodesic and the (small) deviation of the angular velocities from the geodesic values can be of an arbitrary sign, corresponding to the possible spin-up and spin-down alignment to the z-axis. When two spinning particles orbit around a gravitating source in opposite directions, they make one loop with respect to a given static observer with different arrival times. This difference is termed clock effect. We find that a nonzero gravitomagnetic clock effect appears for oppositely orbiting both spin-up or spin-down particles even in the Schwarzschild spacetime. This allows us to establish a formal analogy with the case of (spin-less) geodesics on the equatorial plane of the Kerr spacetime. This result can be verified experimentally.

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arXiv2004

Spinning test particles and clock effect in Kerr spacetime

We study the motion of spinning test particles in Kerr spacetime using the Mathisson-Papapetrou equations; we impose different supplementary conditions among the well known Corinaldesi-Papapetrou, Pirani and Tulczyjew's and analyze their physical implications in order to decide which is the most natural to use. We find that if the particle's center of mass world line, namely the one chosen for the multipole reduction, is a spatially circular orbit (sustained by the tidal forces due to the spin) then the generalized momentum $P$ of the test particle is also tangent to a spatially circular orbit intersecting the center of mass line at a point. There exists one such orbit for each point of the center of mass line where they intersect; although fictitious, these orbits are essential to define the properties of the spinning particle along its physical motion. In the small spin limit, the particle's orbit is almost a geodesic and the difference of its angular velocity with respect to the geodesic value can be of arbitrary sign, corresponding to the spin-up and spin-down possible alignment along the z-axis. We also find that the choice of the supplementary conditions leads to clock effects of substantially different magnitude. In fact, for co-rotating and counter-rotating particles having the same spin magnitude and orientation, the gravitomagnetic clock effect induced by the background metric can be magnified or inhibited and even suppressed by the contribution of the individual particle's spin. Quite surprisingly this contribution can be itself made vanishing leading to a clock effect undistiguishable from that of non spinning particles. The results of our analysis can be observationally tested.

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arXiv2004

The Speciality Index as invariant indicator in the BKL Mixmaster Dynamics

The speciality index, which has been mainly used in Numerical Relativity for studying gravitational waves phenomena as an indicator of the special or non-special Petrov type character of a spacetime, is applied here in the context of Mixmaster cosmology, using the Belinski-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz map. Possible applications for the associated chaotic dynamics are discussed.

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arXiv2004

Geometric transport along circular orbits in stationary axisymmetric spacetimes

Parallel transport along circular orbits in orthogonally transitive stationary axisymmetric spacetimes is described explicitly relative to Lie transport in terms of the electric and magnetic parts of the induced connection. The influence of both the gravitoelectromagnetic fields associated with the zero angular momentum observers and of the Frenet-Serret parameters of these orbits as a function of their angular velocity is seen on the behavior of parallel transport through its representation as a parameter-dependent Lorentz transformation between these two inner-product preserving transports which is generated by the induced connection. This extends the analysis of parallel transport in the equatorial plane of the Kerr spacetime to the entire spacetime outside the black hole horizon, and helps give an intuitive picture of how competing "central attraction forces" and centripetal accelerations contribute with gravitomagnetic effects to explain the behavior of the 4-acceleration of circular orbits in that spacetime.

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arXiv2004

Spin, Acceleration and Gravity

The massless field perturbations of the accelerating Minkowski and Schwarzschild spacetimes are studied. The results are extended to the propagation of the Proca field in Rindler spacetime. We examine critically the possibility of existence of a general spin-acceleration coupling in complete analogy with the well-known spin-rotation coupling. We argue that such a direct coupling between spin and linear acceleration does not exist.

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