arXiv subjects

G. W. Gibbons

Publications and source records attributed to G. W. Gibbons.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

A Spacetime Geometry picture of Forest Fire Spreading and of Quantum Navigation

The problem of finding null geodesics in a stationary Lorentzian spacetime is known to to be equivalent to finding the geodsics of a Randers-Finlser structure. This latter problem is equivalent to finding the motion of charged particles moving on a Riemannian manifold in a background magnetic field or equivalently, by a generalization of Fermat's principle, to Zermelo's problem of extremizing travel time of an aeroplane in the presence of a wind. In this paper this triad of equivalences is extended to include recent model of the spread of a forest fire which uses form of Huyghen's principle. The construction may also be used to solve a problem in quantum control theory in which one seeks a control Hamiltonia taking an initial state of a quantum mechanical system with its own Hamiltonian to a desired final state in least time. The associated stationary spacetime may be thought of as defined on an extended quantum phase space (Souriau's evolution space), the space of quantum stares being complex projective space equipped with its Fubini-Study Kähler metric. It is possible that this spacetime view point may provide insights relevant for our understanding of quantum gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Carroll symmetry of plane gravitational waves

The well-known 5-parameter isometry group of plane gravitational waves in $4$ dimensions is identified as Levy-Leblond's Carroll group in $2+1$ dimensions with no rotations. Our clue is that plane waves are Bargmann spaces into which Carroll manifolds can be embedded. We also comment on the scattering of light by a gravitational wave and calculate its electric permittivity considered as an impedance-matched metamaterial.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

STU Black Holes and SgrA*

The equations of null geodesics in the STU family of rotating black hole solutions of supergravity theory, which may be considered as deformations of the vacuum Kerr metric, are completely integrable. We propose that they be used as a foil to test, for example, with what precision the gravitational field external to the black hole at the centre of our galaxy is given by the Kerr metric. By contrast with some metrics proposed in the literature, the STU metrics satisfy by construction the dominant and strong energy conditions. Our considerations may be extended to include the effects of a cosmological term. We show that these metrics permit a straightforward calculation of the properties of black hole shadows.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Jacobi-Maupertuis-Eisenhart metric and geodesic flows

The Jacobi metric derived from the line element by one of the authors is shown to reduce to the standard formulation in the non-relativistic approximation. We obtain the Jacobi metric for various stationary metrics. Finally, the Jacobi-Maupertuis metric is formulated for time-dependent metrics by including the Eisenhart-Duval lift, known as the Jacobi-Eisenhart metric.

math-ph↗

arXiv2017

A maximum magnetic moment to angular momentum conjecture

Conjectures play a central role in theoretical physics, especially those that assert an upper bound to some dimensionless ratio of physical quantities. In this paper we introduce a new such conjecture bounding the ratio of the magnetic moment to angular momentum in nature. We also discuss the current status of some old bounds on dimensionless and dimensional quantities in arbitrary spatial dimension. Our new conjecture is that the dimensionless Schuster-Wilson-Blackett number, cμ/JG^{(1/2)}, where μ is the magnetic moment and J is the angular momentum, is bounded above by a number of order unity. We verify that such a bound holds for charged rotating black holes in those theories for which exact solutions are available, including the Einstein-Maxwell theory, Kaluza-Klein theory, the Kerr-Sen black hole, and the so-called STU family of charged rotating supergravity black holes. We also discuss the current status of the Maximum Tension Conjecture, the Dyson Luminosity Bound, and Thorne's Hoop Conjecture.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Conformal and projective symmetries in Newtonian cosmology

Definitions of non-relativistic conformal transformations are considered both in the Newton-Cartan and in the Kaluza-Klein-type Eisenhart/Bargmann geometrical frameworks. The symmetry groups that come into play are exemplified by the cosmological, and also the Newton-Hooke solutions of Newton's gravitational field equations. It is shown, in particular, that the maximal symmetry group of the standard cosmological model is isomorphic to the 13-dimensional conformal-Newton-Cartan group whose conformal-Bargmann extension is explicitly worked out. Attention is drawn to the appearance of independent space and time dilations, in contrast with the Schr{ö}dinger group or the Conformal Galilei Algebra.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Jacobi-Maupertius metric and Kepler equation

This article studies the application of the Jacobi-Eisenhart lift, Jacobi metric and Maupertius transformation to the Kepler system. We start by reviewing fundamentals and the Jacobi metric. Then we study various ways to apply the lift to Kepler related systems: first as conformal description and Bohlin transformation of Hooke's oscillator, second in contact geometry, third in Houri's transformation (Houri, Liouville integrability of Hamiltonian systems and spacetime symmetry, http://www.geocities.jp/football\_physicien/publication.html), coupled with Milnor's construction (Milnor, The American Mathematical Monthly 90 (1983) 353-365) with eccentric anomaly.

math-ph↗

arXiv2016

Aspherical Photon and Anti-Photon Surfaces

In this note we identify photon surfaces and anti-photon surfaces in some physically interesting spacetimes, which are not spherically symmetric. All of our examples solve physically reasonable field equations, including for some cases the vacuum Einstein equations, albeit they are not asymptotically flat. Our examples include the vacuum C-metric, the Melvin solution of Einstein-Maxwell theory and generalisations including dilaton fields. The (anti-)photon surfaces are not round spheres, and the lapse function is not always constant.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Photon Spheres and Sonic Horizons in Black Holes from Supergravity and Other Theories

We study closed photon orbits in spherically-symmetric static solutions of supergravity theories, a Horndeski theory, and a theory of quintessence. These orbits lie in what we shall call a photon sphere (anti-photon sphere) if the orbit is unstable (stable). We show that in all the asymptotically flat solutions we examine that admit a regular event horizon, and whose energy-momentum tensor satisfies the strong energy condition, there is one and only one photon sphere outside the event horizon. We give an example of a Horndeski theory black hole (whose energy-momentum tensor violates the strong energy condition) whose metric admits both a photon sphere and an anti-photon sphere. The uniqueness and non-existence also holds for asymptotically anti-de Sitter solutions in gauged supergravity. The latter also exhibit the projective symmetry that was first discovered for the Schwarzschild-de Sitter metrics: the unparameterised null geodesics are the same as when the cosmological or gauge coupling constant vanishes. We also study the closely related problem of accretion flows by perfect fluids in these metrics. For a radiation fluid, Bondi's sonic horizon coincides with the photon sphere. For a general polytropic equation of state this is not the case. Finally we exhibit counterexamples to a conjecture of Hod's.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Eisenhart lifts and symmetries of time-dependent systems

Certain dissipative systems, such as Caldirola and Kannai's damped simple harmonic oscillator, may be modelled by time-dependent Lagrangian and hence time dependent Hamiltonian systems with $n$ degrees of freedom. In this paper we treat these systems, their projective and conformal symmetries as well as their quantisation from the point of view of the Eisenhart lift to a Bargmann spacetime in $n+2$ dimensions, equipped with its covariantly constant null Killing vector field. Reparametrization of the time variable corresponds to conformal rescalings of the Bargmann metric. We show how the Arnold map lifts to Bargmann spacetime. We contrast the greater generality of the Caldirola-Kannai approach with that of Arnold and Bateman. At the level of quantum mechanics, we are able to show how the relevant Schrödinger equation emerges naturally using the techniques of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes, since a covariantly constant null Killing vector field gives rise to well defined one particle Hilbert space. Time-dependent Lagrangians arise naturally also in cosmology and give rise to the phenomenon of Hubble friction. We provide an account of this for Friedmann-Lemaitre and Bianchi cosmologies and how it fits in with our previous discussion in the non-relativistic limit.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

The fate of Hamilton's Hodograph in Special and General Relativity

The hodograph of a non-relativistic particle motion in Euclidean space is the curve described by its momentum vector. For a general central orbit problem the hodograph is the inverse of the pedal curve of the orbit, (i.e. its polar reciprocal), rotated through a right angle. Hamilton showed that for the Kepler/Coulomb problem, the hodograph is a circle whose centre is in the direction of a conserved eccentricity vector. The addition of an inverse cube law force induces the eccentricity vector to precess and with it the hodograph. The same effect is produced by a cosmic string. If one takes the relativistic momentum to define the hodograph, then for the Sommerfeld (i.e. the special relativistic Kepler/Coulomb problem) there is an effective inverse cube force which causes the hodograph to precess. If one uses Schwarzschild coordinates one may also define a a hodograph for timelike or null geodesics moving around a black hole. Iheir pedal equations are given. In special cases the hodograph may be found explicitly. For example the orbit of a photon which starts from the past singularity, grazes the horizon and returns to future singularity is a cardioid, its pedal equation is Cayley's sextic the inverse of which is Tschirhausen's cubic. It is also shown that that provided one uses Beltrami coordinates, the hodograph for the non-relativistic Kepler problem on hyperbolic space is also a circle. An analogous result holds for the the round 3-sphere. In an appendix the hodograph of a particle freely moving on a group manifold equipped with a left-invariant metric is defined.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

The Jacobi-metric for timelike geodesics in static spacetimes

It is shown that the free motion of massive particles moving in static spacetimes are given by the geodesics of an energy-dependent Riemannian metric on the spatial sections analogous to Jacobi's metric in classical dynamics. In the massless limit Jacobi's metric coincides with the energy independent Fermat or optical metric. For stationary metrics, it is known that the motion of massless particles is given by the geodesics of an energy independent Finslerian metric of Randers type. The motion of massive particles is governed by neither a Riemannian nor a Finslerian metric. The properies of the Jacobi metric for massive particles moving outside the horizon of a Schwarschild black hole are described. By constrast with the massless case, the Gaussian curvature of the equatorial sections is not always negative.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2015

The Geometry of Small Causal Diamonds

The geometry of causal diamonds or Alexandrov open sets whose initial and final events $p$ and $q$ respectively have a proper-time separation $τ$ small compared with the curvature scale is a universal. The corrections from flat space are given as a power series in $τ$ whose coefficients involve the curvature at the centre of the diamond. We give formulae for the total 4-volume $V$ of the diamond, the area $A$ of the intersection the future light cone of $p$ with the past light cone of $q$ and the 3-volume of the hyper-surface of largest 3-volume bounded by this intersection valid to ${\cal O} (τ^4) $. The formula for the 4-volume agrees with a previous result of Myrheim. Remarkably, the iso-perimetric ratio ${3V_3 \over 4 π} / ({A \over 4 π}) ^{3 \over 2} $ depends only on the energy density at the centre and is bigger than unity if the energy density is positive. These results are also shown to hold in all spacetime dimensions. Formulae are also given, valid to next non-trivial order, for causal domains in two spacetime dimensions. We suggest a number of applications, for instance, the directional dependence of the volume allows one to regard the volumes of causal diamonds as an observable providing a measurement of the Ricci tensor.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Compactifications of Deformed Conifolds, Branes and the Geometry of Qubits

We present three families of exact, cohomogeneity-one Einstein metrics in $(2n+2)$ dimensions, which are generalizations of the Stenzel construction of Ricci-flat metrics to those with a positive cosmological constant. The first family of solutions are Fubini-Study metrics on the complex projective spaces $CP^{n+1}$, written in a Stenzel form, whose principal orbits are the Stiefel manifolds $V_2(R ^{n+2})=SO(n+2)/SO(n)$ divided by $Z_2$. The second family are also Einstein-Kähler metrics, now on the Grassmannian manifolds $G_2(R^{n+3})=SO(n+3)/((SO(n+1)\times SO(2))$, whose principal orbits are the Stiefel manifolds $V_2(R^{n+2})$ (with no $Z_2$ factoring in this case). The third family are Einstein metrics on the product manifolds $S^{n+1}\times S^{n+1}$, and are Kähler only for $n=1$. Some of these metrics are believed to play a role in studies of consistent string theory compactifications and in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence. We also elaborate on the geometric approach to quantum mechanics based on the Kähler geometry of Fubini-Study metrics on $CP^{n+1}$, and we apply the formalism to study the quantum entanglement of qubits.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Quasi-Normal Modes for Subtracted Rotating and Magnetised Geometries

We obtain explicit separable solutions of the wave equation of massless minimally coupled scalar fields in the subtracted geometry of four-dimensional rotating and Melvin (magnetised) four-charge black holes of the STU model, a consistent truncation of maximally supersymmetric supergravity with four types of electromagnetic fields. These backgrounds possess a hidden SL(2,R) x SL(2,R) x SO(3) symmetry and faithfully model the near horizon geometry of these black holes, but locate them in a confining asymptotically conical box. For each subtracted geometry we obtain two branches of quasi-normal modes, given in terms of hypergeometric functions and spherical harmonics. One branch is over-damped and the other under-damped and they exhibit rotational splitting. No black hole bomb is possible because the Killing field which co-rotates with the horizon is everywhere timelike outside the black hole. A five-dimensional lift of these geometries is given locally by the product of a BTZ black hole with a two-sphere. This allows an explicit analysis of the minimally coupled massive five-dimensional scalar field. Again, there are two branches, both damped, however now their oscillatory parts are shifted by the quantised wave number $k$ along the fifth circle direction.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Super-Geometrodynamics

We present explicit solutions of the time-symmetric initial value constraints, expressed in terms of freely specfiable harmonic functions for examples of supergravity theories, which emerge as effective theories of compactified string theory. These results are a prequisite for the study of the time-evolution of topologically non-trivial initial data for supergravity theories, thus generalising the "Geometrodynamics" program of Einstein-Maxwell theory to that of supergravity theories. Specifically, we focus on examples of multiple electric Maxwell and scalar fields, and analyse the initial data problem for the general Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton theory both with one and two Maxwell fields, and the STU model. The solutions are given in terms of up to eight arbitrary harmonic functions in the STU model. As a by-product, in order compare our results with known static solutions, the metric in isotropic coordinates and all the sources of the non-extremal black holes are expressed entirely in terms of harmonic functions. We also comment on generalizations to time-nonsymmetric initial data and their relation to cosmological solutions of gauged so-called fake supergravities with positive cosmological constant.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Maximum Tension: with and without a cosmological constant

We discuss various examples and ramifications of the conjecture that there exists a maximum force (or tension) in general relativistic systems. We contrast this situation with that in Newtonian gravity, where no maximum force exists, and relate it to the existence of natural units defined by constants of Nature and the fact that the Planck units of force and power do not depend on Planck's constant. We discuss how these results change in higher dimensions where the Planck units of force are no longer non-quantum. We discuss the changes that might occur to the conjecture if a positive cosmological constant exists and derive a maximum force bound using the Kottler-Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2014

Conformal Killing Tensors and covariant Hamiltonian Dynamics

A covariant algorithm for deriving the conserved quantities for natural Hamiltonian systems is combined with the non-relativistic framework of Eisenhart, and of Duval, in which the classical trajectories arise as geodesics in a higher dimensional space-time, realized by Brinkmann manifolds. Conserved quantities which are polynomial in the momenta can be built using time-dependent conformal Killing tensors with flux. The latter are associated with terms proportional to the Hamiltonian in the lower dimensional theory and with spectrum generating algebras for higher dimensional quantities of order $1$ and $2$ in the momenta. Illustrations of the general theory include the Runge-Lenz vector for planetary motion with a time-dependent gravitational constant $G(t)$, motion in a time-dependent electromagnetic field of a certain form, quantum dots, the Hénon-Heiles and Holt systems, respectively, providing us with Killing tensors of rank that ranges from one to six.

math-ph↗