We show that any solution of the 4D Einstein equations of general relativity in vacuum with a cosmological constant may be embedded in a solution of the 5D Ricci-flat equations with an effective 4D cosmological "constant" that is a specific function of the extra coordinate. For unified theories of the forces in higher dimensions, this has major physical implications.
Regge-Teitelboim embedding gravity is the modified gravity based on a simple string-inspired geometrical principle: our spacetime is considered here as a 4-dimensional surface in a flat bulk. This theory is similar to the recently popular theory of mimetic gravity: the modification of gravity appears in both theories as a result of the change of variables in the action of General Relativity. Embedding gravity, as well as mimetic gravity, can be used in explaining the dark matter mystery since, in both cases, the modified theory can be presented as General Relativity with additional fictitious …
Inspired in metamaterials, we present a covariant mechanics for particles in Kleinian spacetime and show some of its effects, such as time contraction and length dilatation. We present the new expressions for relativistic momentum and energy for a point-like particle. To illustrate the new mechanics, we describe the particle motion under a uniform Newtonian gravitational field. We also revisit the free spin-half particle problem in Kleinian spacetime, discuss some quantum implications, like the constraint on the dispersion relation for Weyl fermions, and adapt a metamaterial analog system to K…
There are at least two ways to deduce Einstein's field equations from the principle of maximum force $c^4/4G$ or from the equivalent principle of maximum power $c^5/4G$. Tests in gravitational wave astronomy, cosmology, and numerical gravitation confirm the two principles. Apparent paradoxes about the limits can all be resolved. Several related bounds arise. The limits illuminate the beauty, consistency and simplicity of general relativity from an unusual perspective.
X-ray reflection spectroscopy is potentially a powerful tool to probe the spacetime geometry around astrophysical black holes and test general relativity in the strong field regime. However, precision tests of general relativity are only possible if we employ the correct astrophysical model and we can limit the systematic uncertainties. It is thus crucial to select the sources and the observations most suitable for these tests. In this work, we analyze simultaneous observations of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR of the supermassive black hole in Fairall 9. This source has a number of properties that mak…
Implications of a positive cosmological constant for general relativity
在上个世纪,大多数关于广义相对论的文献都假设宇宙学常数$Λ$为零。然而,到目前为止,独立的观察已经导致了一个共识,即宇宙的动力学最好由爱因斯坦方程描述,该方程具有一个小但正的$Λ$。有趣的是,这需要对广义相对论,\emph{no matter how small $Λ$ is.}中常用的概念框架进行大幅修订。我们首先解释原因,然后总结这些框架的概括现状,包括积极的$Λ$,重点是引力波。
It is known that recently proposed model of mimetic gravity can be presented as general relativity with an additional mimetic matter. We discuss a possibility to analogously reformulate the embedding theory, which is the geometrical description of gravity proposed by Regge and Teitelboim, treating it also as general relativity with some additional matter. We propose a form of action which allows to describe this matter in terms of conserved currents. This action turns out to be a generalization of the perfect fluid action, which can be useful in the analysis of the properties of the additional…
The existence of charged black holes has suggested that wormholes may also be charged. The purpose of this paper is to construct a general model of a charged wormhole that proves to be a natural extension of the original Morris-Thorne wormhole. This goal is achieved by means of the classical embedding theory that has played a major role in the general theory of relativity.
A century ago, Einstein formulated his elegant and elaborate theory of General Relativity, which has so far withstood a multitude of empirical tests with remarkable success. Notwithstanding the triumphs of Einstein's theory, the tenacious challenges of modern cosmology and of particle physics have motivated the exploration of further generalised theories of spacetime. Even though Einstein's interpretation of gravity in terms of the curvature of spacetime is commonly adopted, the assignment of geometrical concepts to gravity is ambiguous because General Relativity allows three entirely differen…
During binary black hole (BBH) mergers, energy and momenta are carried away from the binary system as gravitational radiation. Access to the radiated energy and momenta allows us to predict the properties of the remnant black hole. We develop a Python package gw_remnant to compute the remnant mass, remnant spin, peak luminosity, and the final kick imparted on the remnant black hole from the gravitational radiation. Using this package, we compute the remnant properties of the final black hole in case of non-spinning BBH mergers with mass ratios ranging from q=2.5 to q=1000 using waveform modes …
In previous papers I expounded non-linear Schrodingerist quantum mechanics as a solution of the Measurement Problem. Here I show that NLQM is compatible with Einstein's theory of General Relativity. The extension to curved space-times presumes adoption of "space-time wavefunctions" (sometimes called "multi-time wavefunctions") and some additional algebraic structure: a "bitensor" supplementing Einstein's metric tensor. This kind of matter may violate the Strong Energy Condition even without a mass term, possibly with implications for the formation of singularities within Black Holes.
Gravitational-wave observation together with a large number of electromagnetic observations shows that the source of the latest gravitational-wave event, GW170817, detected primarily by advanced LIGO, is the merger of a binary neutron star. We attempt to interpret this observational event based on our results of numerical-relativity simulations performed so far paying particular attention to the optical and infra-red observations. We finally reach a conclusion that this event is described consistently by the presence of a long-lived hypermassive or supramassive neutron star as the merger remna…
Penrose's crucial contributions to General Relativity, symbolized by his 1965 singularity theorem, received (half of) the 2020 Nobel prize in Physics. A renewed interest in the ideas and implications behind that theorem, its later developments, and other Penrose's ideas improving our understanding of the gravitational field thereby emerged. In this paper I highlight some of the advancements motivated by the theorem that were developed over the years. I also identify some common misconceptions about the theorem's implications. A modern perspective on the concept of closed trapped submanifolds, …
The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) recently measured the mass and equatorial radius of the isolated neutron star PSR J0030+0451. We use these measurements to infer the moment of inertia, the quadrupole moment, and the surface eccentricity of an isolated neutron star for the first time, using relations between these quantities that are insensitive to the unknown equation of state of supranuclear matter. We also use these results to forecast the moment of inertia of neutron star A in the double pulsar binary J0737-3039, a quantity anticipated to be directly measured in the co…
This paper demonstrates a relationship between mass and charge through explicit construction of exact Einstein-Maxwell spacetimes by embedding the Schwarzschild and Kerr instantons in 5 dimensions. It is shown further how by varying only the mass of an object, its electric field or apparent "charge" changes, while making it possible for two different mass values to yield the same electric field strength. The 5-dimensional solution, however, reduces to the familiar Coulomb limit $1/r^2$ for large distances.
Many professional physicists do not fully understand the implications of the Einstein equivalence principle of general relativity. Consequently, many are unaware of the fact that special relativity is fully capable of handling accelerated reference frames. We present results from our nationwide survey that confirm this is the case. We discuss possible origins of this misconception, then suggest new materials for educators to use while discussing the classic twin paradox example. Afterwards, we review typical introductions to general relativity, clarify the equivalence principle, then suggest a…
In the framework of an effective field theory of general relativity a model of scalar and vector bosons interacting with the metric field is considered. It is shown in the framework of a two-loop order calculation that for the cosmological constant term which is fixed by the condition of vanishing vacuum energy the graviton remains massless and there exists a self-consistent effective field theory of general relativity coupled to matter fields defined on a flat Minkowski background. This result is obtained under the assumption that the energy-momentum tensor of the gravitational field is given…
An intriguing solution that appears in General Relativity (GR) but has not been observed so far is the wormhole. This exotic solution describes a topological bridge connecting two distinct universes or two different points in the same universe. It is known that the traversable wormhole solutions violate all the energy conditions in GR, resulting in their instability. In this work, we are going to unveil new wormhole solutions for $f(Q)$ gravity where $Q$ is the non-metricity scalar, which is responsible for the gravitational interaction. The energy conditions to constraint these wormhole solut…
We estimate the changes in solar system tests of general relativity when "dark energy" arises from a Weyl scaling invariant action, using the modified Schwarzschild-like spherically symmetric solution obtained in this case by Adler and Ramazano\vglu. We show that the standard results of general relativity are modified by amounts that are far below current experimental errors. However, because the metric is not conformally flat when the central mass $M$ vanishes, there is a contribution to light deflection proportional to the cosmological constant $Λ$, with opposite sign to the one proportional…