arXiv subjects

L. Herrera

Publications and source records attributed to L. Herrera.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

The mass of a bit of information and the Brillouin's principle

Based on the Brillouin (negentropic) principle, we answer to the question: Does information have mass ? The obtained answer is affirmative and the mass associated to a bit of information (which is always a positive definite quantity) is explicitely calculated. Since the Brillouin's principle is modified in the presence of a gravitational field, so does the mass associated to a bit of information. Some consequences ensuing these facts, as well as the link between radiation and information, are discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Radiation and vorticity: The missing link

In the context of General Relativity, radiation, either gravitational or electromagnetic, is closely associated to vorticity of observers world lines. We stress in this letter that the factor that relates the two phenomena is a circular flow of energy (electromagnetic) and/or superenergy on the planes orthogonal to vorticity vector. We also stress the potential relevance of the abovementioned relationship in experiments to detect gravitational radiation.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

General relativistic polytropes for anisotropic matter: The general formalism and applications

We set up in detail the general formalism to model polytropic general relativistic stars with anisotropic pressure. We shall consider two different possible polytropic equations, all of which yield the same Lane-Emden equation in the Newtonian limit. A heuristic model based on an ansatz to obtain anisotropic matter solutions from known solutions for isotropic matter is adopted to illustrate the effects of the pressure anisotropy on the structure of the star. In this context, the Tolman mass, which is a measure of the active gravitational mass, is invoked to explain some features of the models. Prospective extensions of the proposed approach are pointed out.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Geodesics in the linearized multipole solution: Distinguishing black holes from naked singularities

We analyze the behaviour of geodesic motion of test particles in the spacetime of a specific class of axially symmetric static vacuum solutions to the Einstein equations, hereafter referred to as linearized multipole solution (LM). We discuss about its suitability to describe a quasi-spherical spacetime. The existence of an ISCO (innermost stable circular orbit) very close to the (singular) horizon of the source, is established. The existence of such stable orbit, inner than the one of the Schwarzschild metric, as well as the appearance of a splitting in the admissible region of circular orbits, is shown to be due to the multipole structure of the solution, thereby providing additional potential observational evidence for distinguishing Schwarzschild black holes from naked singularities.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Newtonian polytropes for anisotropic matter: General framework and applications

We set up the general formalism to model polytropic Newtonian stars with anisotropic pressure. We obtain the corresponding Lane-Emden equation. A heuristic model based on an ansatz to obtain anisotropic matter solutions from known solutions for isotropic matter is adopted to illustrate the effects of the pressure anisotropy on the structure of the star. In particular, we calculate the Chandrasekhar mass for a white dwarf. It is clearly displayed how the Chandrasekhar mass limit changes depending on the anisotropy. Prospective astrophysical applications of the proposed approach are discussed.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2013

Nature of the vorticity in the Gödel spacetime

The physical meaning of the vorticity of the matter content in Gödel spacetime is analyzed in some detail. As we shall see, unlike the situation in general stationnary axially symmetric spacetimes (Lewis--Papapetrou), the vorticity in Gödel spacetime is not associated to a circular flow of superenergy on the plane orthogonal to the vorticity vector. This fact might be at the origin of the strange behaviour of gyroscopes in such spacetime. The analysis emerging from the tilted version of Gödel spacetime supports further this point of view. In order to tell apart the two situations (with and without circular flow of superenergy) we introduce two different definitions of vorticity, related to the presence (absence) of such a flow.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2013

Axially symmetric static sources: A general framework and some analytical solutions

We provide all basic equations and concepts required to carry out a general study on axially symmetric static sources. The Einstein equations and the conservation equations are written down for a general anisotropic static fluid endowed with axial symmetry. The structure scalars are calculated and the inhomogeneity factors are identified. Finally some exact analytical solutions were found. One of these solutions describes an incompressible spheroid with isotropic pressure and becomes the well known interior Schwarzschild solution in the spherically symmetric limit, however it cannot be matched smoothly to any Weyl exterior metric. Another family of solutions was found that corresponds to an anisotropic fluid distribution and can in principle be matched to a Weyl exterior.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Vorticity and entropy production in tilted Szekeres spacetimes

We analyze the properties of the tilted Szekeres spacetime, i.e. the version of such spacetime as seen by a congruence of observers with respect to which the fluid is moving. The imperfect fluid and the kinematical variables associated to the four-velocity of the fluid assigned by tilted observers are studied in detail. As it happens for the case of the Lemaitre--Tolman--Bondi spacetime, the fluid evolves nonreversibly (with nonvanishing entropy production) and is nongeodesic. However unlike that later case, the tilted observer detects vorticity in the congruence of the fluid world lines. Also, as for the nontilted congruence the magnetic part of the Weyl tensor vanishes, reinforcing the nonradiative character of this kind of spacetime. Possible physical implications of these results are discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Electromagnetic radiation produces frame dragging

It is shown that for a generic electrovacuum spacetime, electromagnetic radiation produces vorticity of worldlines of observers in a Bondi--Sachs frame. Such an effect (and the ensuing gyroscope precession with respect to the lattice) which is a reminiscence of generation of vorticity by gravitational radiation, may be linked to the nonvanishing of components of the Poynting and the super--Poynting vectors on the planes othogonal to the vorticity vector. The possible observational relevance of such an effect is commented.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Cylindrically Symmetric Relativistic Fluids: A Study Based on Structure Scalars

The full set of equations governing the structure and the evolution of self--gravitating cylindrically symmetric dissipative fluids with anisotropic stresses, is written down in terms of scalar quantities obtained from the orthogonal splitting of the Riemann tensor (structure scalars), in the context of general relativity. These scalars which have been shown previously (in the spherically symmetric case) to be related to fundamental properties of the fluid distribution, such as: energy density, energy density inhomogeneity, local anisotropy of pressure, dissipative flux, active gravitational mass etc, are shown here to play also a very important role in the dynamics of cylindrically symmetric fluids. It is also shown that in the static case, all possible solutions to Einstein equations may be expressed explicitly through three of these scalars.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

On the Meaning of General Covariance and the Relevance of Observers in General Relativity

Since the appearance of General Relativity, its intrinsec general covariance has been very often misinterpreted as implying that physically meaningful quantitities (and conclusions extracted from the theory) have to be absolutely independent on observers. This incorrect point of view is sometimes expressed by discarding the very concept of observer in the structure and applications of the theory. As we shall stress in this essay, through some examples, the concept of observer is as essential to General Relativity as it is to any physical theory.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Dynamical instability and the expansion-free condition

We study the dynamical instability of a spherically symmetric anisotropic fluid which collapses adiabatically under the condition of vanishing expansion scalar. The Newtonian and post Newtonian regimes are considered in detail. It is shown that within those two approximations the adiabatic index $Γ_1$, measuring the fluid stiffness, does not play any role. Instead, the range of instability is determined by the anisotropy of the fluid pressures and the radial profile of the energy density, independently of its stiffness, in a way which is fully consistent with results previously obtained from the study on the Tolman mass.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Reversible Dissipative Processes, Conformal Motions and Landau Damping

The existence of a dissipative flux vector is known to be compatible with reversible processes, provided a timelike conformal Killing vector (CKV) $χ^α=\frac{V^α}{T}$ (where $V^α$ and $T$ denote the four-velocity and temperature respectively) is admitted by the space-time. Here we show that if a constitutive transport equation, either within the context of standard irreversible thermodynamics or the causal Israel--Stewart theory, is adopted, then such a compatibility also requires vanishing dissipative fluxes. Therefore, in this later case the vanishing of entropy production generated by the existence of such CKV is not actually associated to an imperfect fluid, but to a non-dissipative one. We discuss also about Landau damping.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

Relativistic Fluids and the Physics of Gravitational Collapse

We present a discussion on some physical aspects of gravitational collapse which is based on a list of questions related to relevant issues in the study of that phenomenon. Providing answers to those questions we bring out the role played by different physical processes in the dynamics of spherical collapse.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2011

Expansion-Free Cavity Evolution: Some exact Analytical Models

We consider spherically symmetric distributions of anisotropic fluids with a central vacuum cavity, evolving under the condition of vanishing expansion scalar. Some analytical solutions are found satisfying Darmois junction conditions on both delimiting boundary surfaces, while some others require the presence of thin shells on either (or both) boundary surfaces. The solutions here obtained model the evolution of the vacuum cavity and the surrounding fluid distribution, emerging after a central explosion. This study complements a previously published work where modeling of the evolution of such kind of systems was achieved through a different kinematical condition.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

On the Role of Electric Charge and Cosmological Constant in Structure Scalars

The physical meaning of structure scalars is analyzed for charged dissipative spherical fluids and for neutral dust in the presence of cosmological constant. The role played by such factors in the structure scalars is clearly brought out and physical consequences are discussed. Particular attention needs to be paid to the changes introduced by the above mentioned factors in the inhomogeneity factor and the evolution of the expansion scalar and the shear tensor.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

Event Horizon of the Monopole-Quadrupole solution: geometric and thermodynamic properties

We investigate the general geometric properties of the surface of infinite red-shift corresponding to the event horizon of the static and axisymmetric solution of the Einstein vacuum equations that only possesses mass $M$ and quadrupole moment $Q$. The deformation of the Schwarzschild surface $r=2M$ produced by the quadrupole moment is shown, and the range of values of this multipole moment is specified, which preserves a regular, closed, continuous and differentiable surface. Some thermodynamic consequences and speculations ensuing from our results are discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

Tilted Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi Spacetimes: Hydrodynamic and Thermodynamic Properties

We consider Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi spacetimes from the point of view of a tilted observer, i.e. one with respect to which the fluid is radially moving. The imperfect fluid and the congruence described by its four-velocity, as seen by the tilted observer is studied in detail. It is shown that from the point of view of such tilted observer the fluid evolves non-reversibly (i.e. with non-vanishing rate of entropy production). The non-geodesic character of the tilted congruence is related to the non-vanishing of the divergence of the 4-vector entropy flow. We determine the factor related to the existence of energy-density inhomogeneities and describe its evolution, these results are compared with those obtained for the non-tilted observer. Finally, we exhibit a peculiar situation where the non-tilted congruence might be unstable.

gr-qc↗