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Mariem Magdy

Publications and source records attributed to Mariem Magdy.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

The space spinor formalism and estimates for spinor fields

We show how the space spinor formalism for 2-component spinors can be used to construct estimates for spinor fields satisfying first order equations. We discuss the connection of the approach presented in this article with other strategies for the construction of estimates. In addition, we recast several concepts related to the notion of hyperbolicity in the context of spinor equations. The approach described in this article can be regarded as an adaptation to first order equations of the method of positive commutators for second order hyperbolic equations.

gr-qc

Asymptotic charges of a quadrupolar naked singularity

The purpose of this article is to compute the asymptotic charges of a vacuum solution to the Einstein field equations describing a naked singularity with a non-vanishing quadrupole moment, known in the literature as the Zipoy-Voorhees spacetime (q-metric). In addition to the well-known asymptotic quantities such as the Bondi-Sachs energy-momentum, the BMS charges and NP constants of this spacetime are computed. Explicit calculations of the latter are relatively scarce in the literature. Moreover, it has been proven that the NP constants of asymptotically flat, stationary, vacuum, and algebraically special spacetimes vanish (for instance, those of the Kerr spacetime). A by-product of the present analysis is to show that the algebraically special condition in the aforementioned result appears to be crucial, since the q-metric provides a counterexample to the conjecture that all asymptotically flat, stationary, vacuum, and asymptotically algebraically special spacetimes (a weaker version of the algebraically special condition) have vanishing NP constants.

gr-qc

Asymptotics of spin-0 fields and conserved charges on n-dimensional Minkowski spaces

We use conformal geometry methods and the construction of Friedrich's cylinder at spatial infinity to study the propagation of spin-$0$ fields (solutions to the wave equation) on $n$-dimensional Minkowski spacetimes in a neighbourhood of spatial and null infinity. We obtain formal solutions written in terms of series expansions close to spatial and null infinity and use them to compute non-trivial asymptotic spin-$0$ charges. It is shown that if one considers the most general initial data within the class considered in this paper, the expansion is poly-homogeneous and hence of restricted regularity at null infinity. Furthermore, we derive the conditions on the initial data needed to obtain regular solutions and well-defined limits for the asymptotic charges at the critical sets where null infinity and spatial infinity meet. In even dimensions, we find that there are infinitely many well-defined asymptotic charges at the critical sets, while for odd higher dimensions there exists no non-trivial asymptotic charges that remain regular at the critical sets.

gr-qc

BMS-supertranslation charges at the critical sets of null infinity

For asymptotically flat spacetimes, a conjecture by Strominger states that asymptotic BMS-supertranslations and their associated charges at past null infinity $\mathscr{I}^{-}$ can be related to those at future null infinity $\mathscr{I}^{+}$ via an antipodal map at spatial infinity $i^{0}$. We analyse the validity of this conjecture using Friedrich's formulation of spatial infinity, which gives rise to a regular initial value problem for the conformal field equations at spatial infinity. A central structure in this analysis is the cylinder at spatial infinity representing a blow-up of the standard spatial infinity point $i^{0}$ to a 2-sphere. The cylinder touches past and future null infinities $\mathscr{I}^{\pm}$ at the critical sets. We show that for a generic class of asymptotically Euclidean and regular initial data, BMS-supertranslation charges are not well-defined at the critical sets unless the initial data satisfies an extra regularity condition. We also show that given initial data that satisfy the regularity condition, BMS-supertranslation charges at the critical sets are fully determined by the initial data and that the relation between the charges at past null infinity and those at future null infinity directly follows from our regularity condition.

gr-qc

Calculation of asymptotic charges at the critical sets of null infinity

The asymptotic structure of null and spatial infinities of asymptotically flat spacetimes plays an essential role in discussing gravitational radiation, gravitational memory effect, and conserved quantities in General Relativity. Bondi, Metzner and Sachs established that the asymptotic symmetry group for asymptotically simple spacetimes is the infinite-dimensional BMS group. Given that null infinity is divided into two sets: past null infinity $\mathscr{I}^{-}$ and future null infinity $\mathscr{I}^{+}$, one can identify two independent symmetry groups: $\text{BMS}^{-}$ at $\mathscr{I}^{-}$ and $\text{BMS}^{+}$ at $\mathscr{I}^{+}$. Associated with these symmetries are the so-called BMS charges. A recent conjecture by Strominger suggests that the generators of $\text{BMS}^{-}$ and $\text{BMS}^{+}$ and their associated charges are related via an antipodal reflection map near spatial infinity. To verify this matching, an analysis of the gravitational field near spatial infinity is required. This task is complicated due to the singular nature of spatial infinity for spacetimes with non-vanishing ADM mass. Different frameworks have been introduced in the literature to address this singularity, e.g., Friedrich's cylinder, Ashtekar-Hansen's hyperboloid and Ashtekar-Romano's asymptote at spatial infinity. This paper reviews the role of Friedrich's formulation of spatial infinity in the investigation of the matching of the spin-2 charges on Minkowski spacetime and in the full GR setting.

gr-qc

Asymptotic charges for spin-1 and spin-2 fields at the critical sets of null infinity

The asymptotic charges of spin-1 and spin-2 fields are studied near spatial infinity. We evaluate the charges at the critical sets where spatial infinity meets null infinity with the aim of finding the relation between the charges at future and past null infinity. To this end, we make use of Friedrich's framework of the cylinder at spatial infinity to obtain asymptotic expansions of the Maxwell and spin-2 fields near spatial infinity, which are fully determined in terms of initial data on a Cauchy hypersurface. Expanding the initial data in terms of spin-weighted spherical harmonics, it is shown that only a subset of the initial data, that satisfies certain regularity conditions, gives rise to well-defined charges at the point where future (past) infinity meets spatial infinity. Given such initial data, the charges are shown to be fully expressed in terms of the freely specifiable part of the data. Moreover, it is shown that there exists a natural correspondence between the charges defined at future and past null infinity.

gr-qc

A comparison of Ashtekar's and Friedrich's formalisms of spatial infinity

Penrose's idea of asymptotic flatness provides a framework for understanding the asymptotic structure of gravitational fields of isolated systems at null infinity. However, the studies of the asymptotic behaviour of fields near spatial infinity are more challenging due to the singular nature of spatial infinity in a regular point compactification for spacetimes with non-vanishing ADM mass. Two different frameworks that address this challenge are Friedrich's cylinder at spatial infinity and Ashtekar's definition of asymptotically Minkowskian spacetimes at spatial infinity that give rise to the 3-dimensional asymptote at spatial infinity $\mathcal{H}$. Both frameworks address the singularity at spatial infinity although the link between the two approaches had not been investigated in the literature. This article aims to show the relation between Friedrich's cylinder and the asymptote as spatial infinity. To do so, we initially consider this relation for Minkowski spacetime. It can be shown that the solution to the conformal geodesic equations provides a conformal factor that links the cylinder and the asymptote. For general spacetimes satisfying Ashtekar's definition, the conformal factor cannot be determined explicitly. However, proof of the existence of this conformal factor is provided in this article. Additionally, the conditions satisfied by physical fields on the asymptote $\mathcal{H}$ are derived systematically using the conformal constraint equations. Finally, it is shown that a solution to the conformal geodesic equations on the asymptote can be extended to a small neighbourhood of spatial infinity by making use of the stability theorem for ordinary differential equations. This solution can be used to construct a conformal Gaussian system in a neighbourhood of $\mathcal{H}$.

gr-qc