We explore the cosmic evolution of a scalar field with the kinetic term coupled to the Einstein tensor. We find that, in the absence of other matter sources or in the presence of only pressureless matter, the scalar behaves as pressureless matter and the sound speed of the scalar is vanishing. These properties enable the scalar field to be a candidate of cold dark matter. By also considering the scalar potential, we find the scalar field may play the role of both dark matter and dark energy. In this case, the equation of state of the scalar can cross the phantom divide, but this can lead to the sound speed becoming superluminal as it crosses the divide, and so is physically forbidden. Finally, if the kinetic term is coupled to more than one Einstein tensor, we find the equation of state is always approximately equal to -1 whether the potential is flat or not, and so the scalar may also be a candidate for the inflaton.
The recently proposed regularized Lovelock tensors are kinetically coupled to the scalar field. The resulting equation of motion is second order. In particular, it is found that when the $p=3$ regularized Lovelock tensor is kinetically coupled to the scalar field, the scalar field is the potential candidate of cosmic dark energy.
Building on Weinberg's approach to effective field theory for inflation, we construct an effective Lagrangian for a pseudo scalar (axion) inflaton field with shift symmetry. In this Lagrangian we allow the axion field to couple to non-Abelian gauge fields via a Chern-Simons term. We then analyze a class of inflation models driven by kinetic terms. We find that the observational constraints on the amplitudes of curvature perturbations and non-Gaussianity yield a lower bound for the tensor-to-scalar ratio of $r\gtrsim 5\times 10^{-3}$ from the vacuum fluctuation. The sourced gravitational wave f…
Inflation scenarios kinetically coupled with the Einstein tensor have been widely studied. They can be consistent with current observational data. Future experiments on the measurement on CMB distortions will potentially extend information about the scalar spectrum to small scales $1 \Mpc^{-1} \lesssim k \lesssim 2 \times 10^4 \Mpc^{-1}$. By taking the sensitivity of the PIXIE experiment as the criterion, we perform a model-oriented analysis of the observational prospects of spectral distortions for kinetically coupled inflation. There are five models that possibly generate a detectable level …
We discuss a new mechanism to enhance the spectrum of primordial tensor fluctuations in single field inflationary scenarios. The enhancement relies on a transitory non-attractor inflationary phase, which amplifies the would-be decaying tensor mode, and gives rise to a growth of tensor fluctuations at superhorizon scales. We show that the enhancement produced during this phase can be neatly treated via a tensor duality between an attractor and non-attractor phase, which we introduce. We illustrate the mechanism and duality in a kinetically driven scenario of inflation, with non-minimal coupling…
We consider disformal transformations in a subclass of Horndeski theory in which a scalar field is kinetically coupled to the Einstein tensor. We apply a disformal transformation on a seed hairy black hole solution of this theory and we show that there is a transition of a black hole to a wormhole. We also show that the null energy condition is violated in the wormhole configuration and we study the stability of the wormhole solution by calculating the time evolution of scalar perturbations in this geometry.
We have studied the quasinormal modes of a massive scalar field coupling to Einstein's tensor in the spacelike stretched $AdS_3$ black hole spacetime. We find that both the right-moving and left-moving quasinormal frequencies depend not only on the warped parameter $v$ of black hole, but also on the coupling between the scalar field and Einstein's tensor. Moreover, we also discuss the warped $AdS/CFT$ correspondence from the quasinormal modes and probe the effects of the coupling on the left and right conformal weights $h_L$ and $h_R$ of the operators dual to the scalar field in the boundary.
Analytical approximations for curved primordial tensor spectra
David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Physics, University of Toronto（多伦多大学大卫·邓拉普天体物理学与物理系）；Texas Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Weinberg Institute,Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校韦恩伯格研究所宇宙学与高能粒子物理中心物理系）；Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学应用数学与理论物理系）；Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA（美国加州圣巴巴拉卡弗里理论物理研究所）；Laboratory for Theoretical Fundamental Physics, Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)（洛桑联邦理工学院物理研究所基础物理实验室）
We investigate static spherically symmetric solutions in the Palatini kinetically coupled scalar-tensor theory, which reduces to gravity minimally coupled to a scalar field in Einstein frame. Using the fact that the Jordan and Einstein frame are related by a reversible disformal transformation, which can be solved in closed form, we derive the general solution in the Jordan frame and show that it does not contain black holes. There is a wormhole branch and a naked singularity branch between which lies a non-singular asymptotically flat solution with kernel $M_{1,1}\times S^2$. This theory stro…
In this work we shall calculate in detail the effect of an GW170817-compatible Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory on the energy spectrum of the primordial gravitational waves. The spectrum is affected by two characteristics, the overall amplification/damping factor caused by the GW170817-compatible Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory and by the tensor spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar ratio. We shall present the formalism for studying the inflationary dynamics and post-inflationary dynamics of GW170817-compatible Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theories for all redshifts starting from the radiation era up to t…
In this work we shall use a bottom-up approach for obtaining viable inflationary Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet models which are also compatible with the GW170817 event. Specifically, we shall use a recently developed theoretical framework in which we shall specify only the tensor-to-scalar ratio, in terms of the $e$-foldings number. Starting from the tensor-to-scalar ratio, we shall reconstruct from it the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory which can yield such a tensor-to-scalar ratio, finding the scalar potential and the Gauss-Bonnet coupling scalar function as functions of the $e$-foldings number. Accord…
The $f(R)$ gravity and scalar-tensor theory are known to be equivalent at the classical level. We study if this equivalence is valid at the quantum level. There are two descriptions of the scalar-tensor theory in the Jordan and Einstein frames. It is shown that these three formulations of the theories give the same determinant or effective action on shell, and thus they are equivalent at the quantum one-loop level on shell in arbitrary dimensions. We also compute the one-loop divergence in $f(R)$ gravity.
We investigate the properties of the backreacting holographic superconductors from the coupling of a scalar field to the Einstein tensor in the background of a d-dimensional AdS black hole. Imposing the Dirichlet boundary condition of the trial function without the Neumann boundary conditions, we improve the analytical Sturm-Liouville method with an iterative procedure to explore the pure effect of the Einstein tensor on the holographic superconductors and find that the Einstein tensor hinders the condensate of the scalar field but does not affect the critical phenomena. Our analytical finding…
We study the stability under linear perturbations of a class of static solutions of Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity in $D=n+2$ dimensions with spatial slices of the form $Σ_{\k}^n \times {\mathbb R}^+$, $Σ_{\k}^n$ an $n-$manifold of constant curvature $\k$. Linear perturbations for this class of space-times can be generally classified into tensor, vector and scalar types. The analysis in this paper is restricted to tensor perturbations.
We revisit the analogy between a minimally coupled scalar field in general relativity and a perfect fluid, correcting previous identifications of effective temperature and chemical potential. This provides a useful complementary picture for the first-order thermodynamics of scalar-tensor gravity, paving the way for the Einstein frame formulation (which eluded previous attempts) and raises interesting questions to further develop the analogy.
Classical solutions of the self-interacting, non-abelian antisymmetric tensor gauge theory of Freedman and Townsend coupled to Einstein gravity is discussed. Particularly, it is demonstrated that the theory admits a classical metric solution which, depending on the value of the gauge coupling parameter of the theory, exhibits a black hole with an exotic non-abelian hair or a spacetime showing the ``violation of the cosmic censorship hypothesis'' which should be distinguished from white holes.
The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the constant-roll inflationary scenario with anisotropic conditions concerning the Einstein-aether Scalar-tensor cosmology in noncommutative phase space. We first introduce an Einstein-aether scalar-tensor cosmological model. In this structure, one can introduce an aether field with aether coefficients in the action integral of scalar-tensor. It will be a function of the scalar field, which is, in fact, a kind of extender of the Lorentz-violating theories. Hence, we present the point-like Lagrangian, which represents the field equations of th…
We study the greybody factor and Hawking radiation for a scalar field coupling to Einstein's tensor in the background of Reissner-Nordström black hole in the low-energy approximation. We find that the presence of the coupling terms modifies the standard results in the greybody factor and Hawking radiation. Our results show that both the absorption probability and Hawking radiation increase with the coupling constant. Moreover, we also find that for the stronger coupling, the charge of black hole enhances the absorption probability and Hawking radiation of the scalar field, which is different f…
We consider a gravitating system of vanishing cosmological constant consisting of an electromagnetic field and a scalar field coupled to the Einstein tensor. A Reissner-Nordström black hole undergoes a second-order phase transition to a hairy black hole of generally anisotropic hair at a certain critical temperature which we compute. The no-hair theorem is evaded due to the coupling between the scalar field and the Einstein tensor. Within a first order perturbative approach we calculate explicitly the properties of a hairy black hole configuration near the critical temperature and show that it…
We construct the generalized superconductors from the coupling of a scalar field to the Einstein tensor in the massive gravity and investigate their negative refraction in the probe limit. We observe that the larger graviton mass and Einstein tensor coupling parameters both hinder the formation of the condensation, but the larger graviton mass or smaller coupling parameter makes it easier for the emergence of the Cave of Winds. Furthermore, we see that the larger graviton mass but smaller coupling parameter make the range of frequencies or the range of temperatures larger for which a negative …
We study the instability of a Reissner-Nordström-AdS (RNAdS) black hole under perturbations of a massive scalar field coupled to Einstein tensor. Calculating the potential of the scalar perturbations we find that as the strength of the coupling of the scalar to Einstein tensor is increasing, the potential develops a negative well outside the black hole horizon, indicating an instability of the background RNAdS. We then investigate the effect of this coupling on the quasinormal modes. We find that there exists a critical value of the coupling which triggers the instability of the RNAdS. We also…
We study the superradiance effect in a class of scalar-tensor Horndeski theory. We first study the dynamics of a massive charged scalar wave scattered off the horizon of a Reissner-Nordström black hole which except its canonical coupling to gravity it is also coupled kinetically to curvature. We find that a trapping potential is formed outside the horizon of a Reissner-Nordström black hole, due to this coupling, and as the strength of the new coupling is increased, the scattered wave is superradiantly amplified, resulting to the instability of the Reissner-Nordström spacetime. We then consider…
We study the holographic dual description of a superconductor in which the gravity sector consists of a Maxwell field and a charged scalar field which except its minimal coupling to gravity it is also coupled kinematically to Einstein tensor. As the strength of the new coupling is increased, the critical temperature below which the scalar field condenses is lowering, the condensation gap decreases faster than the temperature, the width of the condensation gap is not proportional to the size of the condensate and at low temperatures the condensation gap tends to zero for the strong coupling. Th…
We show that the splitting feature of the Einstein tensor, as the first term of the Lovelock tensor, into two parts, namely the Ricci tensor and the term proportional to the curvature scalar, with the trace relation between them is a common feature of any other homogeneous terms in the Lovelock tensor. Motivated by the principle of general invariance, we find that this property can be generalized, with the aid of a generalized trace operator which we define, for any inhomogeneous Euler-Lagrange expression that can be spanned linearly in terms of homogeneous tensors. Then, through an applicatio…
I give a local description of the Euclidean regime $(M, g_{ab}, u^a)$ of Lorentzian spacetimes $(M, g_{ab})$ based on timelike geodesics $u^a$ passing through an arbitrary event $p_0 \in M$. I show that, to leading order, the Euclidean Einstein-Hilbert action $I_E$ is proportional to the Einstein tensor $G_{ab}u^a u^b$ of $g_{ab}$. The positivity of $I_E$ follows if $G_{ab}u^a u^b>0$ holds. I suggest an interpretation of this result in terms of the amplitude $\mathcal{A}[Σ_0]=\exp[{-I_E}]$ for a single space-like hypersurface $Σ_0 \in I^{+}(p_0)$ to emerge at a constant geodesic distance $λ_0$…
We have investigated quantum entropy of a static black hole arising from the massless scalar field with Lorentz violation induced by the coupling to Einstein tensor. Our results show that the coupled massless scalar field contributes to the classical Bekenstein-Hawking term in the black hole entropy. The corrected classical Bekenstein-Hawking entropy is not one quarter of the event horizon area of the original background black hole, but of a corresponding effective metric related to the coupling. It means that the classical Bekenstein-Hawking entropy depends not only on the black hole paramete…
In this paper we characterize the source-free Einstein-Maxwell spacetimes which have a trace-free Chevreton tensor. We show that this is equivalent to the Chevreton tensor being of pure-radiation type and that it restricts the spacetimes to Petrov types \textbf{N} or \textbf{O}. We prove that the trace of the Chevreton tensor is related to the Bach tensor and use this to find all Einstein-Maxwell spacetimes with a zero cosmological constant that have a vanishing Bach tensor. Among these spacetimes we then look for those which are conformal to Einstein spaces. We find that the electromagnetic f…
Non-minimal scalar-tensor (ST) theories may admit an Einstein frame representation, where gravity is described by the Einstein-Hilbert action plus the scalar sector. Some STs become just {\em minimal} Einstein-scalar (MES) theories, notable examples are Brans-Dicke and $Rϕ^2$. ST theories with {\em derivative} coupling can also be reduced to an Einstein frame by disformal transformations, but, as a rule, their scalar sector will contain higher derivative terms. Here we draw attention to a new Palatini kinetically coupled theory which can be reduced to pure MES by an invertible disformal transf…
We study the motion of particles in the background of a scalar-tensor theory of gravity in which the scalar field is kinetically coupled to Einstein tensor. We constrain the value of the derivative parameter $z$ through solar system tests. By considering the perihelion precession we obtain the constrain $\sqrt{z}/m_p > 2.6\times 10^{12}$ m, the gravitational red-shift $\frac{\sqrt{z}}{m_{p}}>2.7\times10^{\,10}$ m, the deflection of light $\sqrt{z}/m_p > 1.6 \times 10^{11}$ m, and the gravitational time delay $\sqrt{z}/m_p > 7.9 \times 10^{12}$ m; thereby, our results show that it is possible t…
We construct a classification of dispersion relations for the electromagnetic waves non-minimally coupled to the space-time curvature, based on the analysis of the susceptibility tensor, which appears in the non-minimal Einstein-Maxwell theory. We classify solutions to the Fresnel equation for the model with a trace-free non-minimal susceptibility tensor according to the Petrov scheme. For all Petrov types we discuss specific features of the dispersion relations and plot the corresponding wave surfaces.
We generalize and simplify an earlier approach. In three dimensions we present the most general averaging formula in lowest order which respects the requirements of covariance. It involves a bitensor, made up of a basis of six tensors, and contains three arbitrary functions, which are only restricted by their behavior near the origin. The averaging formula can also be applied to the Einstein tensor. If one of the functions is put equal to zero one has the pleasant property that the Einstein tensor of the averaged metric is identical to the averaged Einstein tensor. We also present a simple cov…
Here we present a new method to study stability of the solutions to the Einstein equations. This method uses the canonical superenergy tensors which have been introduced in past in our papers.
We expand previous work on an inverse approach to Einstein Field Equations where we include fluids with energy flux and consider the vanishing of the anisotropic stress tensor. We consider the approach using warped product spacetimes of class $B_1$. Although restricted, these spacetimes include many exact solutions of interest to compact object studies and to cosmological models studies. The question explored here is as follows: given a spacetime metric, what fluid flow (timelike congruence), if any, could generate the spacetime via Einstein's equations. We calculate the flow from the conditio…
We investigate the evolution of cosmological perturbations during de Sitter inflation in the Einstein-Chern-Simons-Weyl gravity. Primordial massive gravitational waves are composed of one scalar, two vector and four tensor circularly polarized modes. We show that the vector power spectrum decays quickly like a transversely massive vector in the superhorizon limit $z\to 0$. In this limit, the power spectrum coming from massive tensor modes decays quickly, leading to the conventional tensor power spectrum. Also, we find that in the limit of $m^2 \to 0$ (keeping the Weyl-squared term only), the v…
We analyze the tensor mode perturbations of static, spherically symmetric solutions of the Einstein equations with a quadratic Gauss-Bonnet term in dimension $D > 4$. We show that the evolution equations for this type of perturbations can be cast in a Regge-Wheeler-Zerilli form, and obtain the exact potential for the corresponding Schrödinger-like stability equation. As an immediate application we prove that for $D \neq 6$ and $α>0$, the sign choice for the Gauss-Bonnet coefficient suggested by string theory, all positive mass black holes of this type are stable. In the exceptional case $D =6$…
A solution to the gravitational field equations based on a non-symmetric metric tensor is examined. Unlike Einstein's interpretation of electromagnetism, or Moffat's generalized gravity, it is shown that the non-symmetric part of the metric tensor is the potential of the spin field. This is in agreement with string theory and provides a natural coupling between gravitation and strings.
Various interpretations of the Riemann Curvature Tensor, Ricci Tensor, and Scalar Curvature are described. Also, the physical meanings of the Einstein Tensor and Einstein's Equations are discussed. Finally a derivation of Newtonian Gravity from Einstein's Equations is given.
We study the gravitational collapse of a homogeneous time-dependent scalar field that, besides its coupling to curvature, it is also kinematically coupled to the Einstein tensor. This coupling is a part of the Horndeski theory and we investigate its effect on the collapsing process. We find that the time required for the scalar field to collapse depends on the value of the derivative coupling and the singularity is protected by a horizon. Matching the internal solution with an external Schwarzschild- AdS metric we show that a black hole is formed, while the weak energy condition is satisfied d…
We propose an Einstein-æther scalar-tensor cosmological model. In particular in the scalar-tensor Action Integral we introduce the æther field with æther coefficients to be functions of the scalar field. This cosmological model extends previous studies on Lorentz-violating theories. For a spatially flat Friedmann--Lema\^ıtre--Robertson--Walker background space we write the field equations which are of second-order with dynamical variables the scale factor and the scalar field. The physical evolution of the field equations depends upon three unknown functions which are related to the scalar-ten…
Global existence to the coupled Einstein-Maxwell system which rules the dynamics of a kind of charged matter with a pseudo-tensor of pressure is proved, in Bianchi I-VIII spacetimes. We study the geodesics completeness, the asymptotic behavior, the positivity conditions, and we prove that the problem is well-posed in the sense of Hadamard.
The stress-energy tensor of a matter shell whose history coincides with a null hypersurface in the Einstein-Cartan gravity is revisited. It is demonstrated that with a proper choice for the torsion discontinuity taken to be orthogonal to the null hypersurface and consistent with the antisymmetric property of torsion tensor, the modified expression for the asymmetric stress-energy tensor is automatically tangent to the hypersurface. The main differences with respect to a previous work are addressed
According to the Einstein hole argument, vacuum metric solutions are equivalent only if they correspond to the same energy--momentum tensor in the source region. In this paper it is shown that singular coordinates that are used to show Schwarzschild geodesics completeness, introduce the fictive delta-like sources at the horizon. Then, metric tensors obtained by such singular transformations, cannot be considered as solutions of the same Einstein equations with the central source.
We study the dynamical evolution of a scalar field coupling to Einstein's tensor in the background of Reissner-Nordström black hole. Our results show that the the coupling constant $η$ imprints in the wave dynamics of a scalar perturbation. In the weak coupling, we find that with the increase of the coupling constant $η$ the real parts of the fundamental quasinormal frequencies decrease and the absolute values of imaginary parts increase for fixed charge $q$ and multipole number $l$. In the strong coupling, we find that for $l\neq0$ the instability occurs when $η$ is larger than a certain thre…
We consider the correspondence between the Jordan frame and the Einstein frame descriptions of scalar-tensor theory of gravitation. We argue that since the redefinition of the scalar field is not differentiable at the limit of general relativity the correspondence between the two frames is lost at this limit. To clarify the situation we analyse the dynamics of the scalar field in different frames for two distinct scalar-tensor cosmologies with specific coupling functions and demonstrate that the corresponding scalar field phase portraits are not equivalent for regions containing the general re…
Taking quantum physics as well as large scale astronomical observations into account, a spacetime metric is introduced, such that the nonlinear part of the Einstein tensor contains effects of the order of Planck's constant.
We study cosmological perturbations arising from thermal fluctuations in the big-bounce cosmology in the Einstein-Cartan-Sciama-Kibble theory of gravity. We show that such perturbations cannot have a scale-invariant spectrum if fermionic matter minimally coupled to the torsion tensor is macroscopically averaged as a spin fluid, but have a scale-invariant spectrum if the Dirac form of the spin tensor of the fermionic matter is used.
We derive the Einstein field equations and black hole entropy from the first law of thermodynamics on a holographic time-like screen. Because of the universality of gravity, the stress tensor on the screen must be independent of the details of matter fields, so it should be a pure geometric quantity. For simplicity, we assume that the stress tensor on the screen depends on surface Ricci curvature and extrinsic curvature linearly. Then we prove that the surface stress tensor is just the Brown-York stress tensor plus terms which do not affect the field equations of gravitation and the entropy of…
We study the scalar-tensor theory of gravity profoundly in the action level as well as in the thermodynamic level. Contrary to the usual description in the literature about the equivalence in the two conformally connected frames, this paper addresses several incomplete inferences regarding it and mentions some inequivalences which were not pointed out earlier. In the thermodynamic level, our analysis shows the two frames are equivalent. In that process, we identify the entropy, the energy and the temperature for the thermodynamic description, and we find these quantities are conformally invari…
In this note we prove an existence result for the Einstein conformal constraint equations for metrics with vanishing Yamabe invariant assuming that the TT-tensor is small in $L^2$.
Conformal Weyl and Cotton tensors are dimensionally reduced by a Kaluza-Klein procedure. Explicit formulas are given for reducing from four and three dimensions to three and two dimensions, respectively. When the higher dimensional conformal tensor vanishes because the space is conformallly flat, the lower-dimensional Kaluza-Klein functions satisfy equations that coincide with the Einstein-Weyl equations in three dimensions and kink equations in two dimensions.
We present an explicit averaging formula in lowest order. Besides an arbitrary smearing function it contains two integrals of this function. This is necessary in order to achieve covariance. There is no need to solve any equations. In three dimensions the same averaging formula yields a covariant averaging of the Einstein tensor and thus of the field equations. We also present a simple extension to static perturbations in four dimensions. Various further extensions of the formalism appear possible.
Careful analysis of parametrized variational principles in mechanics and field theory leads to a generalization of Einstein theory that includes a cosmological stress tensor. This generalization also follows by restricting variations of the metric in the Hilbert action to spacetime diffeomorphisms. The equation of motion for the generalized theory is the twice-contracted Bianchi identity while the field equations constitute the stress tensor of the theory. Gravity is interpreted as a cosmological fluid.
This article studies the effects of an arbitrary dark matter spin tensor on the propagation of gravitational wave amplitude in the context of Einstein-Cartan theory. We choose to work with an arbitrary spin tensor because, given our ignorance of the nature of dark matter, it is sensible not to make further hypotheses on its spin and not to assume any particular model for its spin tensor (or its vanishing). The analysis focuses on a \textquotedblleft weak-torsion regime,\textquotedblright\ such that gravitational wave emission, at leading and subleading orders, does not deviate from standard Ge…
For spherical symmetry, we provide expressions for the radial null-null components of the generalized Einstein tensor $E_{ab}$ for Lovelock models for diagonal $E_{ab}$ in terms of the metric and of the radial null-null components of the Ricci tensor. We show they can be usefully employed for example in obtaining the Birkhoff-like theorem for Lovelock models, as well as in providing a relation between the null energy and null convergence conditions for the same models.
The trace-free Einstein tensor is not variational for the metric as field variable
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)（马克斯·普朗克引力物理研究所（爱因斯坦研究所））；Leibniz University Hannover（汉诺威莱布尼茨大学）；University of Bremen（不来梅大学）
A general formula is calculated for the connection of a central metric w.r.t.\ a noncommutative spacetime of Lie-algebraic type. This is done by using the framework of linear connections on central bi-modules. The general formula is further on used to calculate the corresponding Riemann tensor and prove the corresponding Bianchi identities and certain symmetries that are essential to obtain a symmetric and divergenceless Einstein Tensor. In particular, the obtained Einstein Tensor is not equivalent to the sum of the noncommutative Riemann tensor and scalar, as in the commutative case, but in a…
We give a fully covariant energy momentum stress tensor for the gravitational field which is easily physically motivated, and which leads to a very general derivation of the Einstein equation for gravity. We do not need to assume any property of the surce matter fields' energy momentum stress tensor other than symmetry. We give a physical motivation for this choice using laser light pressure. As a consequence of our derivation, the energy momentum stress tensor for the total source matter and fields must be divergence free, when spacetime is 4 dimensional. Moreoverr, if the total source matter…
Foreword. While most textbooks of general relativity and research articles discuss at length the relative merits of the pseudo tensors proposed by Einstein and by other authors for representing the energy of the gravitational field, Levi Civita's definition of a true gravitational energy tensor has succumbed to the authority of Einstein and is nearly forgotten. It seems however worthy of a careful re-examination, due to its unquestionable logical soundness and to the unique manner of propagation for gravitational energy that it entails.
