Most early twentieth century relativists --- Lorentz, Einstein, Eddington, for examples --- claimed that general relativity was merely a theory of the aether. We shall confirm this claim by deriving the Einstein equations using aether theory. We shall use a combination of Lorentz's and Kelvin's conception of the aether. Our derivation of the Einstein equations will not use the vanishing of the covariant divergence of the stress-energy tensor, but instead equate the Ricci tensor to the sum of the usual stress-energy tensor and a stress-energy tensor for the aether, a tensor based on Kelvin's aether theory. A crucial first step is generalizing the Cartan formalism of Newtonian gravity to allow spatial curvature, as conjectured by Gauss and Riemann.
Aether theory is introduced to implement the violation of the Lorentz invariance in general relativity. For this purpose a unit timelike vector field introduced to theory in addition to the metric tensor. Aether theory contains four free parameters which satisfy some inequalities in order that the theory to be consistent with the observations. We show that the G{\" o}del type of metrics of general relativity are also exact solutions of the Einstein-aether theory. The only field equations are the 3-dimensional Maxwell field equations and the parameters are left free except $c_{1}-c_{3}=1$.
Einstein's theory of general relativity describes gravity as the interaction of particles with space-time geometry, as opposed to interacting with a physical fluid, as in the old gravitational aether theories. Moreover, any theoretical physicist would tell you that, despite its counter-intuitive structure, general relativity is one of the simplest, most beautiful, and successful theories in physics, that has withstood a diverse battery of precision tests over the past century. So, is there any motivation to relax its fundamental principle, and re-introduce a gravitational aether? Here, I give …
Einstein-aether theory is general relativity coupled to a dynamical unit timelike vector field. A brief review of current theoretical understanding and observational constraints on the four coupling parameters of the theory is given.
In this essay we offer a comprehensible overview of the gravitational aether scenario. This is a possible extension of Einstein's theory of relativity to the quantum regime via an effective approach. Quantization of gravity usually faces several issues including an unexpected high vacuum energy density caused by quantum fluctuations. The model presented in this paper offers a solution to the so-called cosmological constant problems. As its name suggests, the gravitational aether introduces preferred reference frames, while it remains compatible with the general theory of relativity. As a rare …
The 19th century Aether died with Special Relativity but was resurrected by General Relativity in the form of dark energy; a tensile material with tension equal to its energy density. Such a material is provided by the D-branes of string-theory; these can support the fields of supersymmetric particle-physics, although their energy density is cancelled by orientifold singularities upon compactification. Dark energy can still arise from supersymmetry-breaking anti-D-branes but it is probably time-dependent. Recent results on time-dependent compactifications to an FLRW universe with late-time acc…
We argue that a quantum aether is consistent with the principle of relativity and can provide an economical way of having an invariant quantum gravity or Planck scale. We also show that it may change the effective scale at which quantum gravity effects may be observable.
The gravitational aether theory is a modification of general relativity that decouples vacuum energy from gravity, and thus can potentially address the cosmological constant problem. The classical theory is distinguishable from general relativity only in the presence of relativistic pressure (or vorticity). Since the interior of neutron stars has high pressure and as their mass and radius can be measured observationally, they are the perfect laboratory for testing the validity of the aether theory. In this paper, we solve the equations of stellar structure for the gravitational aether theory a…
We formulate the nonminimal aether-modified gravity whose action represents itself as a sum of the usual Einstein-Hilbert action and the CPT-even Lorentz-breaking aether-like gravity term proposed by Carroll. For this theory, we show that the Gödel metric solves the modified Einstein equations under a corresponding modification of the matter, while, for the small Lorentz-breaking corrections, the matter turns out to be usual. On the other side, if the matter is suggested to be the same as in the usual general relativity, the Gödel metric is modified by additive aether terms.
Einstein-aether theory is general relativity coupled to a dynamical, unit timelike vector. If this vector is restricted in the action to be hypersurface orthogonal, the theory is identical to the IR limit of the extension of Horava gravity proposed by Blas, Pujolàs and Sibiryakov. Hypersurface orthogonal solutions of Einstein-aether theory are solutions to the IR limit of this theory, hence numerous results already obtained for Einstein-aether theory carry over.
We study gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric scalar field in Einstein-aether theory (general relativity coupled to a dynamical unit timelike vector field). The initial value formulation is developed, and numerical simulations are performed. The collapse produces regular, stationary black holes, as long as the aether coupling constants are not too large. For larger couplings a finite area singularity occurs. These results are shown to be consistent with the stationary solutions found previously.
This paper reviews the theory, phenomenology, and observational constraints on the coupling parameters of Einstein-aether gravity, i.e. General Relativity coupled to a dynamical unit timelike vector field. A discussion of open questions concerning both phenomenology and fundamental issues is included.
The asymptotic properties of conformally static metrics in Einstein-aether theory with a perfect fluid source and a scalar field are analyzed. In case of perfect fluid, some relativistic solutions are recovered such as: Minkowski spacetime, the Kasner solution, a flat FLRW space and static orbits depending on the barotropic parameter $γ$. To analyze locally the behavior of the solutions near a sonic line $v^2=γ-1$, where $v$ is the tilt, a new "shock" variable is used. Two new equilibrium point on this line are found. These points do not exist in General Relativity when $1 <γ<2 $. In the limit…
At the end of the 19th century light was regarded as an electromagnetic wave propagating in a material medium called ether. The speed c appearing in Maxwell's wave equations was the speed of light with respect to the ether. Therefore, according to the Galilean addition of velocities, the speed of light in the laboratory would differ from c. The measure of such difference would reveal the motion of the laboratory (the Earth) relative to the ether (a sort of absolute motion). However the Earth's absolute motion was never evidenced. Galileo addition of velocities is based on the assumption that l…
This work concerns the loss of energy of a material system due to gravitational radiation in Einstein-aether theory-an alternative theory of gravity in which the metric couples to a dynamical, timelike, unit-norm vector field. Derived to lowest post-Newtonian order are waveforms for the metric and vector fields far from a nearly Newtonian system and the rate of energy radiated by the system. The expressions depend on the quadrupole moment of the source, as in standard general relativity, but also contain monopolar and dipolar terms. There exists a one-parameter family of Einstein-aether theori…
In this paper, second post-Newtonian approximation of Einstein-aether theory is obtained by Chandrasekhar's approach. Five parameterized post-Newtonian parameters in first post-Newtonian approximation are presented after a time transformation and they are identical with previous works, in which $γ=1$, $β=1$ and two preferred-frame parameters remain. Meanwhile, in second post-Newtonian approximation, a parameter, which represents third order nonlinearity for gravity, is zero the same as in general relativity. For an application for future deep space laser ranging missions, we reduce the metric …
We develop a new method for calculation of quasi-normal modes of black holes, when the effective potential, which governs black hole perturbations, is known only numerically in some region near the black hole. This method can be applied to perturbations of a wide class of numerical black hole solutions. We apply it to the black holes in the Einstein-Aether theory, a theory where general relativity is coupled to a unit time-like vector field, in order to observe local Lorentz symmetry violation. We found that in the non-reduced Einstein-Aether theory, real oscillation frequency and damping rate…
In this paper, we systematically study spacetimes of gravitational plane waves in Einstein-aether theory. Due to the presence of the timelike aether vector field, now the problem in general becomes overdetermined. In particular, for the linearly polarized plane waves, there are five independent vacuum Einstein-aether field equations for three unknown functions. Therefore, solutions exist only for particular choices of the four free parameters $c_{i}$'s of the theory. We find that there exist eight cases, in two of which any form of gravitational plane waves can exist, similar to that in genera…
The time independent spherically symmetric solutions of General Relativity (GR) coupled to a dynamical unit timelike vector are studied. We find there is a three-parameter family of solutions with this symmetry. Imposing asymptotic flatness restricts to two parameters, and requiring that the aether be aligned with the timelike Killing field further restricts to one parameter, the total mass. These "static aether" solutions are given analytically up to solution of a transcendental equation. The positive mass solutions have spatial geometry with a minimal area 2-sphere, inside of which the area …
A class of positive curvature spatially homogeneous but anisotropic cosmological models within an Einstein-aether gravitational framework are investigated. The matter source is assumed to be a scalar field which is coupled to the expansion of the aether field through a generalized exponential potential. The evolution equations are expressed in terms of expansion-normalized variables to produce an autonomous system of ordinary differential equations suitable for a numerical and qualitative analysis. An analysis of the local stability of the equilibrium points indicates that there exists a range…
We reconsider spherically symmetric black hole solutions in Einstein-Aether theory with the condition that this theory has identical PPN parameters as those for general relativity, which is the main difference from the previous research. In contrast with previous study, we allow superluminal propagation of a spin-0 Aether-gravity wave mode. As a result, we obtain black holes having a spin-0 "horizon" inside an event horizon. We allow a singularity at a spin-0 "horizon" since it is concealed by the event horizon. If we allow such a configuration, the kinetic term of the Aether field can be larg…
We introduce new methods to numerically construct for the first time stationary axisymmetric black hole solutions in Einstein-aether theory and study their properties. The key technical challenge is to impose regularity at the spin-2, 1, and 0 wave mode horizons. Interestingly we find the metric horizon, and various wave mode horizons, are not Killing horizons, having null generators to which no linear combination of Killing vectors is tangent, and which spiral from pole to equator or vice versa. Existing phenomenological constraints result in two regions of coupling parameters where the theor…
We study the cosmological evolution of the field equations in the context of Einstein-Aether cosmology by including a scalar field in a spatially flat Friedmann--Lema\^ıtre--Robertson--Walker spacetime. Our analysis is separated into two separate where a pressureless fluid source is included or absent. In particular, we determine the critical points of the field equations and we study the stability of the specific solutions. The limit of general relativity is fully recovered, while the dynamical system admits de Sitter solutions which can describe the past inflationary era and the future late-…
We consider the accretion process in the thin disk around a supermassive black hole in Einstein-aether-scalar theory. We probe the effects of the model parameter on the physical properties of the disk. The results show that with increasing value of the parameter, the energy flux, the radiation temperature, the spectra cut-off frequency, the spectra luminosity, and the conversion efficiency of the disk decrease. The disk is hotter and more luminous than that in general relativity for negative parameter, while it is cooler and less luminous for positive parameter. We also find some values of the…
The local Lorentz violation (LV) in gravity sector should show itself in derivation of the characteristic quasinormal modes (QNMs) of black hole mergers from their general relativity case. In this paper, I study QNMs of the gravitational field perturbations to Einstein-aether black holes and, at first compare them to those in Schwarzschild black hole, and then some other known LV gravity theories. By comparing to Schwarzschild black hole, the first kind aether black holes have larger damping rate and the second ones have lower damping rate. And they all have smaller real oscillation frequency …
The space of the solutions of the differential equations resulting from considering matter fluids of scalar field type or perfect fluid in Einstein-aether theory is analyzed. The Einstein-aether theory of gravity consists of General Relativity coupled to a vector field of unit time type, called the aether. In this effective theory, Lorentz invariance is violated, but locality and covariance are preserved in the presence of the vector field. For the mathematical formulation of the models, the 1 + 3 formalism is used that allows writing field equations for spherically symmetric inhomogeneous met…
The gravitational consequence of local Lorentz violation (LV) should show itself in derivation of the characteristic quasinormal ringing of black hole mergers from their general relativity case. In this paper, we study quasinormal modes (QNMs) of the scalar and electromagnetic field perturbations to Einstein aether black holes. We find that quasinormal ringing of the first kind aether black hole is similar to that of another Lorentz violation model---the QED-extension limit of standard model extension. These similarities between completely different backgrounds may imply that LV in gravity sec…
We study the well-posedness of the initial value (Cauchy) problem of vacuum Einstein-aether theory. The latter is a Lorentz-violating gravitational theory consisting of General Relativity with a dynamical timelike 'aether' vector field, which selects a 'preferred time' direction at each spacetime event. The Einstein-aether action is quadratic in the aether, and thus yields second order field equations for the metric and the aether. However, the well-posedness of the Cauchy problem is not easy to prove away from the simple case of perturbations over flat space. This is particularly problematic …
The so-called Einstein-Aether theory is General Relativity coupled (at second derivative order) to a dynamical unit time-like vector field (the aether). It is a Lorentz-violating theory, and gained much attention in the recent years. In the present work, we study the cosmological evolution of Einstein-Aether models with power-law-like potential, by using the method of dynamical system. In the case without matter, there are two attractors which correspond to an inflationary universe in the early epoch, or a de Sitter universe in the late time. In the case with matter but there is no interaction…
We study spherical black-hole solutions in Einstein-aether theory, a Lorentz-violating gravitational theory consisting of General Relativity with a dynamical unit timelike vector (the "aether") that defines a preferred timelike direction. These are also solutions to the infrared limit of Horava-Lifshitz gravity. We explore parameter values of the two theories where all presently known experimental constraints are satisfied, and find that spherical black-hole solutions of the type expected to form by gravitational collapse exist for all those parameters. Outside the metric horizon, the deviatio…
In the present work we analyze all the possible spherically symmetric exterior vacuum solutions allowed by the Einstein-Aether theory with static aether. We show that there are four classes of solutions corresponding to different values of a combination of the free parameters, $c_{14}=c_1+c_4$, which are: $ 0 < c_{14}<2$, $c_{14} < 0$, $c_{14}=2$ and $c_{14}=0$. We present explicit analytical solutions for $c_{14}=3/2, 16/9, 48/25, -16, 2$ and $0$. The first case has some pathological behavior, while the rest have all singularities at $r=0$ and are asymptotically flat spacetimes. For the solut…
We study gravitational waves emitted by a binary system of non-spinning bodies in a quasi-circular inspiral within the framework of Einstein-aether theory. In particular, we compute explicitly and analytically the expressions for the time-domain and frequency-domain waveforms, gravitational wave polarizations, and response functions for both ground- and space-based detectors in the post-Newtonian approximation. We find that, when going beyond leading-order in the post-Newtonian approximation, the non-Einsteinian polarization modes contain terms that depend on both the first and the second harm…
Constraints on Einstein-aether gravity from the precision timing of PSR J1738+0333
SISSA（国际高等研究院）；INFN Sezione di Trieste（意大利国家核物理研究所的里雅斯特分部）；IFPU - Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe（宇宙基础物理研究所）；INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari（意大利国家天体物理研究所卡利亚里天文台）；School of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram（印度科学教育与研究学院特里凡得琅物理学院）；Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut), Leibniz Universität Hannover（马克斯·普朗克引力物理研究所（爱因斯坦研究所），汉诺威莱布尼茨大学）；Fakulät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld（比勒费尔德大学物理学院）；Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）
We study black hole solutions in general relativity coupled to a unit timelike vector field dubbed the "aether". To be causally isolated a black hole interior must trap matter fields as well as all aether and metric modes. The theory possesses spin-0, spin-1, and spin-2 modes whose speeds depend on four coupling coefficients. We find that the full three-parameter family of local spherically symmetric static solutions is always regular at a metric horizon, but only a two-parameter subset is regular at a spin-0 horizon. Asymptotic flatness imposes another condition, leaving a one-parameter famil…
In this work we present all the possible solutions for a static cylindrical symmetric spacetime in the Einstein-Aether (EA) theory. As far as we know, this is the first work in the literature that considers cylindrically symmetric solutions in the theory of EA. One of these solutions is the generalization in EA theory of the Levi-Civita (LC) spacetime in General Relativity (GR) theory. We have shown that this generalized LC solution has unusual geodesic properties, depending on the parameter $c_{14}$ of the aether field. The circular geodesics are the same of the GR theory, no matter the value…
"Einstein-aether" theory is a generally covariant theory of gravity containing a dynamical preferred frame. This article continues an examination of effects on the motion of binary pulsar systems in this theory, by incorporating effects due to strong fields in the vicinity of neutron star pulsars. These effects are included through an effective approach, by treating the compact bodies as point particles with nonstandard, velocity dependent interactions parametrized by dimensionless "sensitivities". Effective post-Newtonian equations of motion for the bodies and the radiation damping rate are d…
As current and future experiments probe strong gravitational regimes around neutron stars and black holes, it is desirable to have theoretically sound alternatives to general relativity against which to test observations. Here we study the consequences of one such generalization, Einstein-aether theory, for the properties of non-rotating neutron stars. This theory has a parameter range that satisfies all current weak-field tests. We find that within this range it leads to lower maximum neutron star masses, as well as larger surface redshifts at a particular mass, for a given nuclear equation o…
We consider cosmology in the Einstein-aether theory (the generally covariant theory of gravitation coupled to a dynamical timelike Lorentz-violating vector field) with a linear aether-Lagrangian. The 3+1 spacetime splitting approach is used to derive covariant and gauge invariant perturbation equations which are valid for a general class of Lagrangians. Restricting attention to the parameter space of these theories which is consistent with local gravity experiments, we show that there are tracking behaviors for the aether field, both in the background cosmology and at linear perturbation level…
We propose, in a heuristic way, a relativistic modified gravity model as an alternative to particle dark matter at galactic scales. The model is based on a postulated preferred time foliation described by a dynamical scalar field called the "Khronon". In coordinates adapted to the foliation it appears as a modification of general relativity violating local Lorentz invariance in a regime of weak gravitational fields. The model is a particular case of non-canonical Einstein-aether theory, but in which the aether vector field is hypersurface orthogonal. We show that this model recovers the phenom…
We study slowly rotating, asymptotically flat black holes in Einstein-aether theory and show that solutions that are free from naked finite area singularities form a two-parameter family. These parameters can be thought of as the mass and angular momentum of the black hole, while there are no independent aether charges. We also show that the aether has non-vanishing vorticity throughout the spacetime, as a result of which there is no hypersurface that resembles the universal horizon found in static, spherically symmetric solutions. Moreover, for experimentally viable choices of the coupling co…
How do the global properties of a Lorentzian manifold change when endowed with a vector field? This interesting question is tackled in this paper within the framework of Einstein-Aether (EA) theory which has the most general diffeomorphism-invariant action involving a spacetime metric and a vector field. After classifying all the possible nine vacuum solutions with and without cosmological constant in Friedmann-Lema{\^ı}tre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) cosmology, we show that there exist three singular solutions in the EA theory which are not singular in the General Relativity (GR), all of them for…
Recently the lower bounds of the intergalactic magnetic fields $10^{-16} \sim 10^{-20}$ Gauss are set by gamma-ray observations while it is unlikely to generate such large scale magnetic fields through astrophysical processes. It is known that large scale magnetic fields could be generated if there exist cosmological vector mode perturbations in the primordial plasma. The vector mode, however, has only a decaying solution in General Relativity if the plasma consists of perfect fluids. In order to investigate a possible mechanism of magnetogenesis in the primordial plasma, here we consider cosm…
We analyze the radiative and nonradiative linearized variables in a gravity theory within the familiy of the nonprojectable Horava theories, the Horava theory at the kinetic-conformal point. There is no extra mode in this formulation, the theory shares the same number of degrees of freedom with general relativity. The large-distance effective action, which is the one we consider, can be given in a generally-covariant form under asymptotically flat boundary conditions, the Einstein-aether theory under the condition of hypersurface orthogonality on the aether vector. In the linearized theory we …
Is Cosmic Censorship special to General Relativity, or can it survive a violation of equivalence principle? Recent studies have shown that singularities in Lorentz violating Einstein-Aether (or Horava-Lifhsitz) theories can lie behind a universal horizon in simple black hole spacetimes. Even infinitely fast signals cannot escape these universal horizons. We extend this result, for an incompressible aether, to 3+1d dynamical or spinning spacetimes which possess inner killing horizons, and show that a universal horizon always forms in between the outer and (would-be) inner horizons. This finding…
We investigate inertial frames in the absence of Lorentz invariance, reconsidering the usual group structure implied by the relativity principle. We abandon the relativity principle, discarding the group structure for the transformations between inertial frames, while requiring these transformations to be at least linear (to preserve homogeneity). In theories with a preferred frame (aether), the set of transformations between inertial frames forms a groupoid/pseudogroup instead of a group, a characteristic essential to evading the von Ignatowsky theorems. In order to understand the dynamics, w…
These notions in the title are of fundamental importance in any branch of physics. However, there have been great difficulties in finding physically acceptable definitions of them in general relativity since Einstein's time. I shall explain these difficulties and progresses that have been made. In particular, I shall introduce new definitions of center of mass and angular momentum at both the quasi-local and total levels, which are derived from first principles in general relativity and by the method of geometric analysis. With these new definitions, the classical formula p=mv is shown to be c…
In generally covariant metric gravity theories with tensor matter fields, the initial value constraint equations, unlike in general relativity, are in general not just the 0μ-components of the metric field equation. This happens because higher derivatives can occur in the matter stress tensor. A universal form for these constraints is derived here from a generalized Bianchi identity that includes matter fields. As an application, the constraints for Einstein-aether theory are found.
