arXiv subjects

Vincent Moncrief

Publications and source records attributed to Vincent Moncrief.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

A Conceptual Introduction To Signature Change Through a Natural Extension of Kaluza-Klein Theory

We propose an extension of basic Kaluza-Klein theory in which the higher-dimensional Lorentzian manifold develops a Cauchy horizon rather than remaining globally hyperbolic as in the conventional framework. In this setting, the $U(1)$-generating Killing field, assumed to exist in Kaluza-Klein theory, undergoes a transition in its causal character, from spacelike in the globally hyperbolic region to timelike in an acausal extension through a horizon. This yields a (lower-dimensional) quotient manifold whose metric changes signature from Lorentzian to Riemannian. In this way, one observes a singular, signature changing transition emerging rather naturally from the projection of a globally smooth, even analytic, Lorentzian geometry ``up in the bundle''. This reveals a ``signature change without signature change'' scenario -- a phrasing inspired by John Wheeler -- and extends the usual Kaluza-Klein framework in a conceptually natural direction.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Einstein flow with matter sources: stability and convergence

Two recent articles \cite{ashtekar2015general, moncrief2019could} suggested an interesting dynamical mechanism within the framework of the vacuum Einstein flow (or Einstein-$Λ$ flow if a positive cosmological constant $Λ$ is included) which suggests that many closed (compact without boundary) manifolds that do not support homogeneous and isotropic metrics \textit{at all} will nevertheless evolve to be asymptotically compatible with the observed approximate homogeneity and isotropy of the physical universe. These studies however did not include matter sources. Therefore the aim of the present study is to include suitable matter sources and investigate whether one is able to draw a similar conclusion.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

A Positive-Definite Energy Functional for the Axisymmetric Perturbations of Kerr-Newman Black Holes

We consider the axisymmetric, linear perturbations of Kerr-Newman black holes, allowing for arbitrarily large (but subextremal) angular momentum and electric charge. By exploiting the famous Carter-Robinson identities, developed previously for the proofs of (stationary) black hole uniqueness results, we construct a positive-definite energy functional for these perturbations and establish its conservation for a class of (coupled, gravitational and electromagnetic) solutions to the linearized field equations. Our analysis utilizes the familiar (Hamiltonian) reduction of the field equations (for axisymmetric geometries) to a system of wave map fields coupled to a 2+1-dimensional Lorentzian metric on the relevant quotient 3-manifold. The propagating `dynamical degrees of freedom' of this system are entirely captured by the wave map fields, which take their values in a four dimensional, negatively curved (complex hyperbolic) Riemannian target space whereas the base-space Lorentzian metric is entirely determined, in our setup, by elliptic constraints and gauge conditions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Orbit Space Curvature as a Source of Mass in Quantum Gauge Theory

It has long been realized that the natural orbit space for non-abelian Yang-Mills dynamics is a positively curved (infinite dimensional) Riemannian manifold. Expanding on this result I.M. Singer proposed that strict positivity of the corresponding Ricci tensor (computable through zeta function regularization) could play a fundamental role in establishing that the associated Schroedinger operator admits a spectral gap. His argument was based on representing the (regularized) kinetic term in the Schroedinger operator as a Laplace-Beltrami operator on this positively curved orbit space. We revisit Singer's proposal and show how, when the contribution of the Yang-Mills potential energy is taken into account, the role of the original orbit space Ricci tensor is instead played by a Bakry-Emery Ricci tensor computable from the ground state wave functional of the quantum theory. We next review our ongoing Euclidean-signature-semi-classical program for deriving asymptotic expansions for such wave functionals and discuss how, by keeping the dynamical nonlinearities and non-abelian gauge invariances intact at each level of the analysis, our approach surpasses that of conventional perturbation theory for the generation of approximate wave functionals. Though our main focus is on Yang-Mills theory we derive the orbit space curvature for scalar electrodynamics and prove that, whereas the Maxwell factor remains flat, the interaction naturally induces positive curvature in the (charged) scalar factor of the resulting orbit space. This has led us to the conjecture that such orbit space curvature effects could furnish a source of mass for ordinary Klein-Gordon type fields provided the latter are (minimally) coupled to gauge fields, even in the abelian case. Finally we discuss the potential applicability of our Euclidean-signature program to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation of canonical quantum gravity.

hep-th↗

arXiv2019

Could the Universe have an Exotic Topology?

A recent article uncovered a surprising dynamical mechanism at work within the (vacuum) Einstein `flow' that strongly suggests that many closed 3-manifolds that do not admit a locally homogeneous and isotropic metric \textit{at all} will nevertheless evolve, under Einsteinian evolution, in such a way as to be \textit{asymptotically} compatible with the observed, approximate, spatial homogeneity and isotropy of the universe \cite{Moncrief:2015}. Since this previous article, however, ignored the potential influence of \textit{dark-energy} and its correspondent accelerated expansion upon the conclusions drawn, we analyze herein the modifications to the foregoing argument necessitated by the inclusion of a \textit{positive} cosmological constant --- the simplest viable model for dark energy.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

A Euclidean Signature Semi-Classical Program

In this article we discuss our ongoing program to extend the scope of certain, well-developed microlocal methods for the asymptotic solution of Schrödinger's equation (for suitable `nonlinear oscillatory' quantum mechanical systems) to the treatment of several physically significant, interacting quantum field theories. Our main focus is on applying these `Euclidean-signature semi-classical' methods to self-interacting (real) scalar fields of renormalizable type in 2, 3 and 4 spacetime dimensions and to Yang-Mills fields in 3 and 4 spacetime dimensions. A central argument in favor of our program is that the asymptotic methods for Schrödinger operators developed in the microlocal literature are far superior, for the quantum mechanical systems to which they naturally apply, to the conventional WKB methods of the physics literature and that these methods can be modified, by techniques drawn from the calculus of variations and the analysis of elliptic boundary value problems, to apply to certain (bosonic) quantum field theories. Unlike conventional (Rayleigh/ Schrödinger) perturbation theory these methods allow one to avoid the artificial decomposition of an interacting system into an approximating `unperturbed' system and its perturbation and instead to keep the nonlinearities (and, if present gauge invariances) of an interacting system intact at every level of the analysis.

math-ph↗

arXiv2018

Symmetries of Cosmological Cauchy Horizons with Non-Closed Orbits

We consider analytic, vacuum spacetimes that admit compact, non-degenerate Cauchy horizons. Many years ago we proved that, if the null geodesic generators of such a horizon were all \textit{closed} curves, then the enveloping spacetime would necessarily admit a non-trivial, horizon-generating Killing vector field. Using a slightly extended version of the Cauchy-Kowaleski theorem one could establish the existence of infinite dimensional, analytic families of such `generalized Taub-NUT' spacetimes and show that, generically, they admitted \textit{only} the single (horizon-generating) Killing field alluded to above. In this article we relax the closure assumption and analyze vacuum spacetimes in which the generic horizon generating null geodesic densely fills a 2-torus lying in the horizon. In particular we show that, aside from some highly exceptional cases that we refer to as `ergodic', the non-closed generators always have this (densely 2-torus-filling) geometrical property in the analytic setting. By extending arguments we gave previously for the characterization of the Killing symmetries of higher dimensional, stationary black holes we prove that analytic, 4-dimensional, vacuum spacetimes with such (non-ergodic) compact Cauchy horizons always admit (at least) two independent, commuting Killing vector fields of which a special linear combination is horizon generating. We also discuss the \textit{conjectures} that every such spacetime with an \textit{ergodic} horizon is trivially constructable from the flat Kasner solution by making certain `irrational' toroidal compactifications and that degenerate compact Cauchy horizons do not exist in the analytic case.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Euclidean signature semi-classical methods for bosonic field theories: interacting scalar fields

Elegant 'microlocal' methods have long since been extensively developed for the analysis of conventional Schroedinger eigenvalue problems. For technical reasons though these methods have not heretofore been applicable to quantum field theories. In this article however we initiate a 'Euclidean signature semi-classical' program to extend the scope of these analytical techniques to encompass the study of self-interacting scalar fields in 1 + 1, 2 + 1 and 3 + 1 dimensions. The basic microlocal approach entails, first of all, the solution of a single, nonlinear equation of Hamilton-Jacobi type followed by the integration (for both ground and excited states) of a sequence of linear 'transport' equations along the 'flow' generated by the 'fundamental solution' to the aforementioned Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Using a combination of the direct method of the calculus of variations, elliptic regularity theory and the Banach space version of the implicit function theorem we establish, in a suitable function space setting, the existence, uniqueness and global regularity of this needed 'fundamental solution' to the relevant, Euclidean signature Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the systems under study. Our methods are applicable to (massive) scalar fields with polynomial self-interactions of renormalizable type. They can, as we shall show elsewhere, also be applied to Yang-Mills fields in 2 + 1 and 3 + 1 dimensions.

math-ph↗

arXiv2012

Modified Semi-Classical Methods for Nonlinear Quantum Oscillations Problems

We develop a modified semi-classical approach to the approximate solution of Schrodinger's equation for certain nonlinear quantum oscillations problems. At lowest order, the Hamilton-Jacobi equation of the conventional semi-classical formalism is replaced by an inverted-potential-vanishing-energy variant thereof. Under smoothness, convexity and coercivity hypotheses on its potential energy function, we prove, using the calculus of variations together with the Banach space implicit function theorem, the existence of a global, smooth `fundamental solution'. Higher order quantum corrections, for ground and excited states, are computed through the integration of associated systems of linear transport equations, and formal expansions for the corresponding energy eigenvalues obtained by imposing smoothness on the quantum corrections to the eigenfunctions. For linear oscillators our expansions naturally truncate, reproducing the well-known solutions for the energy eigenfunctions and eigenvalues. As an application, we calculate a number of terms in the corresponding expansions for the one-dimensional anharmonic oscillators of quartic, sectic, octic, and dectic types and find that our eigenvalue expansions agree with those of Rayleigh/Schrodinger theory, whereas our wave functions more accurately capture the more-rapid-than-gaussian decay. For the quartic oscillator our results strongly suggest that the ground state energy eigenvalue expansion and its associated wave function expansion are Borel summable to yield natural candidates for the actual exact ground state solution and its energy. Our techniques for proving the existence of the crucial `fundamental solution' to the relevant Hamilton Jacobi equation admit infinite dimensional generalizations. In a parallel project we shall show how this construction can be carried out for the Yang-Mills equations in Minkowski spacetime.

math-ph↗

arXiv2010

An axisymmetric evolution code for the Einstein equations on hyperboloidal slices

We present the first stable dynamical numerical evolutions of the Einstein equations in terms of a conformally rescaled metric on hyperboloidal hypersurfaces extending to future null infinity. Axisymmetry is imposed in order to reduce the computational cost. The formulation is based on an earlier axisymmetric evolution scheme, adapted to time slices of constant mean curvature. Ideas from a previous study by Moncrief and the author are applied in order to regularize the formally singular evolution equations at future null infinity. Long-term stable and convergent evolutions of Schwarzschild spacetime are obtained, including a gravitational perturbation. The Bondi news function is evaluated at future null infinity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2009

Einstein spaces as attractors for the Einstein flow

In this paper we prove a global existence theorem, in the direction of cosmological expansion, for sufficiently small perturbations of a family of $n+1$-dimensional, $n \geq 3$, spatially compact spacetimes which generalizes the $k=-1$ Friedmann--Robertson--Walker vacuum spacetime. Our results demonstrate causal geodesic completeness of the perturbed spacetimes, in the expanding direction, and show that the scale-free geometry converges towards an element in the moduli space of Einstein geometries, with a rate of decay depending on the stability properties of the Einstein geometry.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2009

Regularity of the Einstein Equations at Future Null Infinity

When Einstein's equations for an asymptotically flat, vacuum spacetime are reexpressed in terms of an appropriate conformal metric that is regular at (future) null infinity, they develop apparently singular terms in the associated conformal factor and thus appear to be ill-behaved at this (exterior) boundary. In this article however we show, through an enforcement of the Hamiltonian and momentum constraints to the needed order in a Taylor expansion, that these apparently singular terms are not only regular at the boundary but can in fact be explicitly evaluated there in terms of conformally regular geometric data. Though we employ a rather rigidly constrained and gauge fixed formulation of the field equations, we discuss the extent to which we expect our results to have a more 'universal' significance and, in particular, to be applicable, after minor modifications, to alternative formulations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2008

Symmetries of Higher Dimensional Black Holes

We prove that if a stationary, real analytic, asymptotically flat vacuum black hole spacetime of dimension $n\geq 4$ contains a non-degenerate horizon with compact cross sections that are transverse to the stationarity generating Killing vector field then, for each connected component of the black hole's horizon, there is a Killing field which is tangent to the generators of the horizon. For the case of rotating black holes, the stationarity generating Killing field is not tangent to the horizon generators and therefore the isometry group of the spacetime is at least two dimensional. Our proof relies on significant extensions of our earlier work on the symmetries of spacetimes containing a compact Cauchy horizon, allowing now for non closed generators of the horizon.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2003

Perturbations of Spatially Closed Bianchi III Spacetimes

Motivated by the recent interest in dynamical properties of topologically nontrivial spacetimes, we study linear perturbations of spatially closed Bianchi III vacuum spacetimes, whose spatial topology is the direct product of a higher genus surface and the circle. We first develop necessary mode functions, vectors, and tensors, and then perform separations of (perturbation) variables. The perturbation equations decouple in a way that is similar to but a generalization of those of the Regge--Wheeler spherically symmetric case. We further achieve a decoupling of each set of perturbation equations into gauge-dependent and independent parts, by which we obtain wave equations for the gauge-invariant variables. We then discuss choices of gauge and stability properties. Details of the compactification of Bianchi III manifolds and spacetimes are presented in an appendix. In the other appendices we study scalar field and electromagnetic equations on the same background to compare asymptotic properties.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2003

Future complete vacuum spacetimes

In this paper we prove a global existence theorem, in the direction of cosmological expansion, for sufficiently small perturbations of a family of spatially compact variants of the $k=-1$ Friedmann--Robertson--Walker vacuum spacetime. We use a special gauge defined by constant mean curvature slicing and a spatial harmonic coordinate condition, and develop energy estimates through the use of the Bel-Robinson energy and its higher order generalizations. In addition to the smallness condition on the data, we need a topological constraint on the spatial manifold to exclude the possibility of a non--trivial moduli space of flat spacetime perturbations, since the latter could not be controlled by curvature--based energies such as those of Bel--Robinson type. Our results also demonstrate causal geodesic completeness of the perturbed spacetimes (in the expanding direction) and establish precise rates of decay towards the background solution which serves as an attractor asymptotically.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2003

Non linear stability of einsteinian spacetimes with U(1) isometry group

We prove global completeness in the expanding direction of spacetimes satisfying the vacuum Einstein equations on a manifold of the form $Σ\times S^{1}\times R$ where $Σ$ is a compact surface of genus $G>1.$ The Cauchy data are supposed to be invariant with respect to the group $S^{1}$ and sufficiently small, but we do not impose a restrictive hypothesis made in gr-qc 0112049 on the lowest eigenvalue of a relevant Laplacian. The total energy decay still holds, but its rate depends of the asymptotic value of this eigenvalue.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2002

Elliptic-hyperbolic systems and the Einstein equations

The Einstein evolution equations are studied in a gauge given by a combination of the constant mean curvature and spatial harmonic coordinate conditions. This leads to a coupled quasilinear elliptic--hyperbolic system of evolution equations. We prove that the Cauchy problem is locally strongly well--posed and that a continuation principle holds. For initial data satisfying the Einstein constraint and gauge conditions, the solutions to the elliptic-hyperbolic system defined by the gauge fixed Einstein evolution equations are shown to give vacuum spacetimes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2001

Future Global in time einsteinian spacetimes with U(1) isometry group

We prove that spacetimes satisfying the vacuum Einstein equations on a manifold of the form $Σ\times U(1)\times R$ where $Σ$ is a compact surface of genus $G>1$ and where the Cauchy data is invariant with respect to U(1) and sufficiently small exist for an infinite proper time in the expanding direction.

gr-qc↗