arXiv subjects

Tobias Beran

Publications and source records attributed to Tobias Beran.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Curvature bounds, regularity and inextendibility of spacetimes

We provide a completely new relation between curvature bounds and definiteness of the causal character of maximizers by exploiting the robust notion of synthetic curvature. This enables us to relate low-regularity inextendibility of spacetimes to unboundedness of curvature - which is at present unattainable using classical methods - thereby strengthening and complementing the results of Grant-Kunzinger-Saemann (2019) significantly.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Reshetnyak Majorisation and discrete upper curvature bounds for Lorentzian length spaces

We present an analogue to the Majorisation Theorem of Reshetnyak in the setting of Lorentzian length spaces with upper curvature bounds: given two future-directed timelike rectifiable curves $α$ and $β$ with the same endpoints in a Lorentzian length space $X$, there exists a convex region in $\mathbb{L}^2(K)$ bounded by two future-directed causal curves $\bar α$ and $\bar β$ with the same endpoints and a 1-anti-Lipschitz map from that region into $X$ such that $\bar α$ and $\bar β$ are respectively mapped $τ$-length-preservingly onto $α$ and $β$. A special case of this theorem leads to an interesting characterisation of upper curvature bounds via four-point configurations which is truly suitable for a discrete setting.

math.DG↗

arXiv2026

Concavity of spacetimes

Motivated by recent breathtaking progress in the synthetic study of Lorentzian geometry, we investigate the local concavity of time separation functions on Finsler spacetimes as a Lorentzian counterpart to Busemann's convexity in metric geometry. We show that a Berwald spacetime is locally concave if and only if its flag curvature is nonnegative in timelike directions. We also give another characterization of nonnegative flag curvature by the convexity of future (or past) capsules, inspired by Kristály--Kozma's result in the positive definite case. These characterizations are new even for Lorentzian manifolds.

math.DG↗

arXiv2026

Hyperbolic angles in Lorentzian length spaces and timelike curvature bounds

Within the synthetic-geometric framework of Lorentzian (pre-)length spaces developed in Kunzinger and Sämann (Ann. Glob. Anal. Geom. 54(3):399--447, 2018) we introduce a notion of a hyperbolic angle, an angle between timelike curves and related concepts like timelike tangent cone and exponential map. This provides valuable technical tools for the further development of the theory and paves the way for the main result of the article, which is the characterization of timelike curvature bounds (defined via triangle comparison) with an angle monotonicity condition. Further, we improve on a geodesic non-branching result for spaces with timelike curvature bounded below.

math.DG↗

arXiv2026

A Splitting Theorem for non-positively curved Lorentzian spaces

We prove a splitting theorem for Lorentzian pre-length spaces with global non-positive timelike curvature. Additionally, we extend the first variation formula to spaces with any timelike curvature bound, either from above or below, and different from 0.

math.DG↗

arXiv2025

Alexandrov's Patchwork and the Bonnet--Myers Theorem for Lorentzian length spaces

We present several key results for Lorentzian pre-length spaces with global timelike curvature bounds. Most significantly, we construct a Lorentzian analogue to Alexandrov's Patchwork, thus proving that suitably nice Lorentzian pre-length spaces with local upper timelike curvature bound also satisfy a corresponding global upper bound. Additionally, for spaces with global lower bound on their timelike curvature, we provide a Bonnet--Myers style result, constraining their finite diameter. Throughout, we make the natural comparisons to the metric case, concluding with a discussion of potential applications and ongoing work.

math.DG↗

arXiv2025

A Toponogov globalisation result for Lorentzian length spaces

In the synthetic geometric setting introduced by Kunzinger and Sämann, we present an analogue of Toponogov's Globalisation Theorem which applies to Lorentzian length spaces with lower (timelike) curvature bounds. Our approach utilises a "cat's cradle" construction akin to that which appears in several proofs in the metric setting. On the road to our main result, we also provide a lemma regarding the subdivision of triangles in spaces with a local lower curvature bound and a synthetic Lorentzian version of the Lebesgue Number Lemma. Several properties of time functions and the null distance on globally hyperbolic Lorentzian length spaces are also highlighted. We conclude by presenting several applications of our results, including versions of the Bonnet--Myers Theorem and the Splitting Theorem for Lorentzian length spaces with local lower curvature bounds, as well as discussion of stability of curvature bounds under Gromov--Hausdorff convergence.

math.DG↗

arXiv2025

A nonlinear d'Alembert comparison theorem and causal differential calculus on metric measure spacetimes

We introduce a variational first-order Sobolev calculus on metric measure spacetimes. The key object is the maximal weak subslope of an arbitrary causal function, which plays the role of the (Lorentzian) modulus of its differential. It is shown to satisfy certain chain and Leibniz rules, certify a locality property, and be compatible with its smooth analog. In this setup, we propose a quadraticity condition termed infinitesimal Minkowskianity, which singles out genuinely Lorentzian structures among Lorentz-Finsler spacetimes. Moreover, we establish a comparison theorem for a nonlinear yet elliptic $p$-d'Alembertian in a weak form under the timelike measure contraction property. As a particular case, this extends Eschenburg's classical estimate past the timelike cut locus.

math.DG↗

arXiv2024

Bonnet-Myers rigidity theorem for globally hyperbolic Lorentzian length spaces

We prove a synthetic Bonnet-Myers rigidity theorem for globally hyperbolic Lorentzian length spaces with global curvature bounded below by $K<0$ and an open distance realizer of length $L=\fracπ{\sqrt{|K|}}$: It states that the space necessarily is a warped product with warping function $\cos:(-\fracπ{2},\fracπ{2})\to\mathbb{R}_+$. From this, one also sees that a globally hyperbolic spacetime with curvature bounded above by $K<0$ and an open distance realizer of length $L=\fracπ{\sqrt{|K|}}$ is a warped product with warping function $\cos$.

math.DG↗

arXiv2024

The equivalence of smooth and synthetic notions of timelike sectional curvature bounds

Timelike sectional curvature bounds play an important role in spacetime geometry, both for the understanding of classical smooth spacetimes and for the study of Lorentzian (pre-)length spaces introduced in \cite{kunzinger2018lorentzian}. In the smooth setting, a bound on the sectional curvature of timelike planes can be formulated via the Riemann curvature tensor. In the synthetic setting, bounds are formulated by comparing various geometric configurations to the corresponding ones in constant curvature spaces. The first link between these notions in the Lorentzian context was established in \cite{harris1982triangle}, which was instrumental in the proof of powerful results in spacetime geometry \cite{beem1985toponogov, beem1985decomposition, galloway2018existence}. For general semi-Riemannian manifolds, the equivalence between sectional curvature bounds and synthetic bounds was established in \cite{alexander2008triangle}, however in this approach the sectional curvatures of both timelike and spacelike planes have to be considered. In this article, we fill a gap in the literature by proving the full equivalence between sectional curvature bounds on timelike planes and synthetic timelike bounds on strongly causal spacetimes. As an essential tool, we establish Hessian comparison for the time separation and signed distance functions.

math.DG↗

arXiv2024

On curvature bounds in Lorentzian length spaces

We introduce several new notions of (sectional) curvature bounds for Lorentzian pre-length spaces: On the one hand, we provide convexity/concavity conditions for the (modified) time separation function, and, on the other hand, we study four-point conditions, which are suitable also for the non-intrinsic setting. Via these concepts we are able to establish (under mild assumptions) the equivalence of all previously known formulations of curvature bounds. In particular, we obtain the equivalence of causal and timelike curvature bounds as introduced in Kunzinger and Sämann (Ann. Glob. Anal. Geom. 54(3):399-447, 2018).

math.DG↗

arXiv2023

Characterizing intrinsic Lorentzian length spaces via $τ$-midpoints

In metric geometry, the question of whether a distance metric is given by the length of curves can be decided via the existence of midpoints with respect to the metric $d$. We adapt a similar characterization to the setting of Lorentzian pre-length spaces. In particular, we show that a given space is strictly intrinsic provided it has $τ$-midpoints and merely intrinsic provided it has approximate $τ$-midpoints. Our approach is based on the null distance of C. Sormani and C. Vega.

math.MG↗

arXiv2022

The splitting theorem for globally hyperbolic Lorentzian length spaces with non-negative timelike curvature

In this work, we prove a synthetic splitting theorem for globally hyperbolic Lorentzian length spaces with global non-negative timelike curvature containing a complete timelike line. Just like in the case of smooth spacetimes, we construct complete, timelike asymptotes which, via triangle comparison, can be shown to fit together to give timelike lines. To get a control on their behaviour, we introduce the notion of parallelity of timelike lines in the spirit of the splitting theorem for Alexandrov spaces and show that asymptotic lines are all parallel. This helps to establish a splitting of a neighbourhood of the given line. We then show that this neighbourhood has the timelike completeness property and is hence inextendible, which globalises the local result.

math.DG↗

arXiv2022

Gluing constructions for Lorentzian length spaces

We introduce an analogue to the amalgamation of metric spaces into the setting of Lorentzian pre-length spaces. This provides a very general process of constructing new spaces out of old ones. The main application in this work is an analogue of the gluing theorem of Reshetnyak for CAT($k$) spaces, which roughly states that gluing is compatible with upper curvature bounds. We formulate the theorem in terms of (strongly causal) spacetimes viewed as Lorentzian length spaces.

math.DG↗