arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M. Francaviglia.
We shall use the variational decomposition technique in order to calculate equations of motion and Noether energy-momentum complex for some classes of non-linear gravitational Lagrangians within the first-order (Palatini) formalism. In particular, a complex space-time appears as a solution of our variational problem.
It is shown that the first order (Palatini) variational principle for a generic nonlinear metric-affine Lagrangian depending on the (symmetrized) Ricci square invariant leads to an almost-product Einstein structure or to an almost-complex anti-Hermitian Einstein structure on a manifold. It is proved that a real anti-Hermitian metric on a complex manifold satisfies the Kähler condition on the same manifold treated as a real manifold if and only if the metric is the real part of a holomorphic metric. A characterisation of anti-Kähler Einstein manifolds and almost-product Einstein manifolds is obtained. Examples of such manifolds are considered.
It has been recently shown that, in the first order (Palatini) formalism, there is universality of Einstein equations and Komar energy-momentum complex, in the sense that for a generic nonlinear Lagrangian depending only on the scalar curvature of a metric and a torsionless connection one always gets Einstein equations and Komar's expression for the energy-momentum complex. In this paper a similar analysis (also in the framework of the first order formalism) is performed for all nonlinear Lagrangians depending on the (symmetrized) Ricci square invariant. The main result is that the universality of Einstein equations and Komar energy-momentum complex also extends to this case (modulo a conformal transformation of the metric).
It is shown that for a wide class of analytic Lagrangians which depend only on the scalar curvature of a metric and a connection, the application of the so--called ``Palatini formalism'', i.e., treating the metric and the connection as independent variables, leads to ``universal'' equations. If the dimension $n$ of space--time is greater than two these universal equations are Einstein equations for a generic Lagrangian and are suitably replaced by other universal equations at bifurcation points. We show that bifurcations take place in particular for conformally invariant Lagrangians $L=R^{n/2} \sqrt g$ and prove that their solutions are conformally equivalent to solutions of Einstein equations. For 2--dimensional space--time we find instead that the universal equation is always the equation of constant scalar curvature; the connection in this case is a Weyl connection, containing the Levi--Civita connection of the metric and an additional vectorfield ensuing from conformal invariance. As an example, we investigate in detail some polynomial Lagrangians and discuss their bifurcations.
A model of two--dimensional gravity with an action depending only on a linear connection is considered. This model is a topological one, in the sense that the classical action does not contain a metric or zweibein at all. A metric and an additional vector field are instead introduced in the process of solving equations of motion for the connection. They satisfy the constant curvature equation. It is shown that the general solution of these equations of motion can be described by using the space of orbits under the action of the Weyl group in the functional space containing all pairs formed by a metric and a vectorfield. It is shown also that this model admits an equivalent description by using a family of actions depending on the metric and the connection as independent variables.