arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E. Minguzzi.
A version of the vacuum conservation theorem is proved which does not assume the existence of a time function nor demands stronger properties than the dominant energy condition. However, it is shown that a stronger stable version plays a role in the study of compact Cauchy horizons.
It is shown that the Rayleigh's dissipation function can be successfully applied in the solution of mechanical problems involving friction non-linear in the velocities. Through the study of surfaces at contact we arrive at a simple integral expression which gives directly the Rayleigh dissipation function in terms of generalized coordinates. In this way the solutions of Lagrangian problems with friction are reduced to often elementary calculations of the kinetic energy, the potential energy and the Rayleigh dissipation function. Some examples of pedagogical interest are given.
In the traditional Kaluza-Klein theory, the cylinder condition and the constancy of the extra-dimensional radius (scalar field) imply that timelike geodesics on the 5-dimensional bundle project to solutions of the Lorentz force equation on spacetime. This property is lost for non constant scalar fields, in fact there appear new terms that have been interpreted mainly as new forces or as due to a variable inertial mass and/or charge. Here we prove that the additional terms can be removed if we assume that charged particles are coupled with the same spacetime conformal structure of neutral particles but through a different conformal factor. As a consequence, in Kaluza-Klein theory the proper time of the charged particle might depend on the charge-to-mass ratio and the scalar field. Then we show that the compatibility between the equation of the projected geodesic and the classical limit of the Klein-Gordon equation fixes unambiguously the conformal factor of the coupling metric solving the `conformal ambiguity problem' of Kaluza-Klein theories. We confirm this result by explicitly constructing the projection of the Klein-Gordon equation and by showing that each Fourier mode, even for a variable scalar field, satisfies the Klein-Gordon equation on the base.
This work explores a classical mechanical theory under two further assumptions: (a) there is a universal dry friction force (Aristotelian mechanics), and (b) the variation of the mass of a body due to wear is proportional to the work done by the friction force on the body (Reye's hypothesis). It is shown that mass depends on velocity as in Special Relativity, and that the velocity is constant for a particular characteristic value. In the limit of vanishing friction the theory satisfies a relativity principle as bodies do not decelerate and, therefore, the absolute frame becomes unobservable. However, the limit theory is not Newtonian mechanics, with its Galilei group symmetry, but rather Special Relativity. This result suggests to regard Special Relativity as the limit of a theory presenting universal friction and exchange of mass-energy with a reservoir (vacuum). Thus, quite surprisingly, Special Relativity follows from the absolute space (ether) concept and could have been discovered following studies of Aristotelian mechanics and friction. We end the work confronting the full theory with observations. It predicts the Hubble law through tired light, and hence it is incompatible with supernova light curves unless both mechanisms of tired light (locally) and universe expansion (non-locally) are at work. It also nicely accounts for some challenging numerical coincidences involving phenomena under low acceleration.
Some foundational results on the geometry of Lorentz-Minkowski spaces and Finsler spacetimes are obtained. We prove that the local light cone structure of a reversible Finsler spacetime with more than two dimensions is topologically the same as that of Lorentzian spacetimes: at each point we have just two strictly convex causal cones which intersect only at the origin. Moreover, we prove a reverse Cauchy-Schwarz inequality for these spaces and a corresponding reverse triangle inequality. The Legendre map is proved to be a diffeomorphism in the general pseudo-Finsler case provided the dimension is larger than two.
We establish that over a C^{2,1} manifold the exponential map of any Lipschitz connection or spray determines a local Lipeomophism and that, furthermore, reversible convex normal neighborhoods do exist. To that end we use the method of Picard-Lindelof approximation to prove the strong differentiability of the exponential map at the origin and hence a version of Gauss' Lemma which does not require the differentiability of the exponential map. Contrary to naive differential degree counting, the distance functions are shown to gain one degree and hence to be C^{1,1}. As an application to mathematical relativity, it is argued that the mentioned differentiability conditions can be considered the optimal ones to preserve most results of causality theory. This theory is also shown to be generalizable to the Finsler spacetime case. In particular, we prove that the local Lorentzian(-Finsler) length maximization property of causal geodesics in the class of absolutely continuous causal curves holds already for C^{1,1} spacetime metrics. Finally, we study the local existence of convex functions and show that arbitrarily small globally hyperbolic convex normal neighborhoods do exist.
It is proved that every compactly generated future Cauchy horizon has past complete generators, and dually. No condition on the differentiability of the horizon is imposed.
We give an introduction to (pseudo-)Finsler geometry and its connections. For most results we provide short and self contained proofs. Our study of the Berwald non-linear connection is framed into the theory of connections over general fibered spaces pioneered by Mangiarotti, Modugno and other scholars. The main identities for the linear Finsler connection are presented in the general case, and then specialized to some notable cases like Berwald's, Cartan's or Chern-Rund's. In this way it becomes easy to compare them and see the advantages of one connection over the other. Since we introduce two soldering forms we are able to characterize the notable Finsler connections in terms of their torsion properties. As an application, the curvature symmetries implied by the compatibility with a metric suggest that in Finslerian generalizations of general relativity the mean Cartan torsion vanishes. This observation allows us to obtain dynamical equations which imply a satisfactory conservation law. The work ends with a discussion of yet another Finsler connection which has some advantages over Cartan's and Chern-Rund's.
We review and develop two little known results on the equality of mixed partial derivatives which can be considered the best results so far available in their respective domains. The former, due to Mikusiński and his school, deals with equality at a given point, while the latter, due to Tolstov, concerns equality almost everywhere. Applications to differential geometry and General Relativity are commented.
I present an approach to gravity in which the spacetime metric is constructed from a non-Abelian gauge potential with values in the Lie algebra of the group U(2) (or the Lie algebra of quaternions). If the curvature of this potential vanishes, the metric reduces to a canonical curved background form reminiscent of the Friedmann S^3 cosmological metric.
A cosmological model is proposed which uses a causality argument to solve the homogeneity and entropy problems of cosmology. In this model a chronology violating region of spacetime causally precedes the remainder of the Universe, and a theorem establishes the existence of time functions precisely outside the chronology violating region. This model is shown to nicely reproduce Augustine of Hippo's thought on time and the beginning of the Universe. In the model the spacelike boundary representing the Big Bang is replaced by a null hypersurface at which the gravitational degrees of freedom are almost frozen while the matter and radiation content is highly homogeneous and thermalized.
In many applications it is important to establish if a given topological preordered space has a topology and a preorder which can be recovered from the set of continuous isotone functions. Under antisymmetry this property, also known as quasi-uniformizability, allows one to compactify the topological space and to extend its order dynamics. In this work we study locally compact $σ$-compact spaces endowed with a closed preorder. They are known to be normally preordered, and it is proved here that if they are locally convex, then they are convex, in the sense that the upper and lower topologies generate the topology. As a consequence, under local convexity they are quasi-uniformizable. The problem of establishing local convexity under antisymmetry is studied. It is proved that local convexity holds provided the convex hull of any compact set is compact. Furthermore, it is proved that local convexity holds whenever the preorder is compactly generated, a case which includes most examples of interest, including preorders determined by cone structures over differentiable manifolds. The work ends with some results on the problem of quasi-pseudo-metrizability. As an application, it is shown that every stably causal spacetime is quasi-uniformizable and every globally hyperbolic spacetime is strictly quasi-pseudo-metrizable.
This work is devoted to the relativistic generalization of Chasles' theorem, namely to the proof that every proper orthochronous isometry of Minkowski spacetime, which sends some point to its chronological future, is generated through the frame displacement of an observer which moves with constant acceleration and constant angular velocity. The acceleration and angular velocity can be chosen either aligned or perpendicular, and in the latter case the angular velocity can be chosen equal or smaller than than the acceleration. We start reviewing the classical Euler's and Chasles' theorems both in the Lie algebra and group versions. We recall the relativistic generalization of Euler's theorem and observe that every (infinitesimal) transformation can be recovered from information of algebraic and geometric type, the former being identified with the conjugacy class and the latter with some additional geometric ingredients (the screw axis in the usual non-relativistic version). Then the proper orthochronous inhomogeneous Lorentz Lie group is studied in detail. We prove its exponentiality and identify a causal semigroup and the corresponding Lie cone. Through the identification of new Ad-invariants we classify the conjugacy classes, and show that those which admit a causal representative have special physical significance. These results imply a classification of the inequivalent Killing vector fields of Minkowski spacetime which we express through simple representatives. Finally, we arrive at the mentioned generalization of Chasles' theorem.
A topological preordered space admits a Hausdorff closed preorder compactification if and only if it is Tychonoff and the preorder is represented by the family of continuous isotone functions. We construct the largest Hausdorff closed preorder compactification for these spaces and clarify its relation with Nachbin's compactification. Under local compactness the problem of the existence and identification of the smallest Hausdorff closed preorder compactification is considered.
This work introduces screw theory, a venerable but yet little known theory aimed at describing rigid body dynamics. This formulation of mechanics unifies in the concept of screw the translational and rotational degrees of freedom of the body. It captures a remarkable mathematical analogy between mechanical momenta and linear velocities, and between forces and angular velocities. For instance, it clarifies that angular velocities should be treated as applied vectors and that, under the composition of motions, they sum with the same rules of applied forces. This work provides a short and rigorous introduction to screw theory intended to an undergraduate and general readership.
The causal spacetimes admitting a covariantly constant null vector provide a connection between relativistic and non-relativistic physics. We explore this relationship in several directions. We start proving a formula which relates the Lorentzian distance in the full spacetime with the least action of a mechanical system living in a quotient classical space time. The timelike eikonal equation satisfied by the Lorentzian distance is proved to be equivalent to the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the least action. We also prove that the Legendre transform on the classical base corresponds to the musical isomorphism on the light cone, and the Young-Fenchel inequality is nothing but a well known geometric inequality in Lorentzian geometry. A strategy to simplify the dynamics passing to a reference frame moving with the E.-L. flow is explained. It is then proved that the causality properties can be conveniently expressed in terms of the least action. In particular, strong causality coincides with stable causality and is equivalent to the lower semi-continuity of the classical least action on the diagonal, while global hyperbolicity is equivalent to the coercivity condition on the action functional. The classical Tonelli's theorem in the calculus of variations corresponds, then, to the well known result that global hyperbolicity implies causal simplicity. The well known problem of recasting the metric in a global Rosen form is shown to be equivalent to that of finding global solutions to the Hamilton-Jacobi equation having complete characteristics.
We establish that every second countable completely regularly preordered space (E,T,\leq) is quasi-pseudo-metrizable, in the sense that there is a quasi-pseudo-metric p on E for which the pseudo-metric p\veep^-1 induces T and the graph of \leq is exactly the set {(x,y): p(x,y)=0}. In the ordered case it is proved that these spaces can be characterized as being order homeomorphic to subspaces of the ordered Hilbert cube. The connection with quasi-pseudo-metrization results obtained in bitopology is clarified. In particular, strictly quasi-pseudometrizable ordered spaces are characterized as being order homeomorphic to order subspaces of the ordered Hilbert cube.
It is shown that causally simple inextendible spacetimes are hole-free, thus confirming the expectation that causal simplicity removes holes from spacetime. This result is optimal in the sense that causal simplicity cannot be weakened to causal continuity. Physically, it means that if there is some partial Cauchy hypersurface which, for some reason, does not fully develop its influence, then there is some discontinuity in the causal relation.