We establish the Bonnet-Myers theorem, Laplacian comparison theorem, and Bishop-Gromov volume comparison theorem for weighted Finsler manifolds as well as weighted Finsler spacetimes, of weighted Ricci curvature bounded below by using the weight function. These comparison theorems are formulated with $ε$-range introduced in our previous paper, that provides a natural viewpoint of interpolating weighted Ricci curvature conditions of different effective dimensions. Some of our results are new even for weighted Riemannian manifolds and generalize comparison theorems of Wylie-Yeroshkin and Kuwae-Li.
We introduce the notion of a standard static Finsler spacetime where the base is a Finsler manifold. We prove some results which connect causality with the Finslerian geometry of the base extending analogous ones for static and stationary Lorentzian spacetimes.
We study Finsler spacetimes and Killing vector fields taking care of the fact that the generalized metric tensor associated to the Lorentz-Finsler function $L$ is in general well defined only on a subset of the slit tangent bundle. We then introduce a new class of Finsler spacetimes endowed with a timelike Killing vector field that we call stationary splitting Finsler spacetimes. We characterize when a Finsler spacetime with a timelike Killing vector field is locally a stationary splitting. Finally, we show that the causal structure of a stationary splitting is the same of one of two Finsleria…
In this work, a version of Fermat's principle for causal curves with the same energy in time orientable Finsler spacetimes is proved. We calculate the secondvariation of the {\it time arrival functional} along a geodesic in terms of the index form associated with the Finsler spacetime Lagrangian. Then the character of the critical points of the time arrival functional is investigated and a Morse index theorem in the context of Finsler spacetime is presented.
The current paper deals with some new classes of Finsler metrics with reversible geodesics. We construct weighted quasi-metrics associated with these metrics. Further, we investigate some important geometric properties of weighted quasi-metric space. Finally, we discuss the embedding of quasi-metric spaces with generalized weight.
In this paper we prove several multiplicity results of $t$-periodic light rays in conformally stationary spacetimes using the Fermat metric and the extensions of the classical theorems of Gromoll-Meyer and Bangert-Hingston to Finsler manifolds. Moreover, we exhibit some stationary spacetimes with a finite number of $t$-periodic light rays and compute a lower bound for the period of the light rays when the flag curvature of the Fermat metric is $η$-pinched.
In this paper, we study the weakly weighted Einstein-Finsler metrics. First, we show that weakly weighted Einstein-Kropina metrics must be of isotropic S-curvature with respect to the Busemann-Hausdorff volume form under a certain condition about the weight constants. Then we characterize weakly weighted Einstein-Kropina metrics completely via their navigation expressions or via $α$ and $β$ respectively.
The paper proposes a notion of volume element for Finsler spaces with metrics of Lorentzian signature, equipped with a time orientation. This notion is based on a slight modification of the idea of Holmes-Thompson volume element working for positive definite Finsler metrics and can be used in field-theoretical applications on a Finslerian background. Though the approach assumes the existence of a time orientation, the volume element does not depend on its choice.
We establish some important inequalities under a lower weighted Ricci curvature bound on Finsler manifolds. Firstly, we establish a relative volume comparison of Bishop-Gromov type. As one of the applications, we obtain an upper bound for volumes of the Finsler manifolds. Further, when the S-curvature is bounded on the whole manifold, we obtain a theorem of Bonnet-Myers type on Finsler manifolds. Finally, we obtain a sharp Poincaré-Lichnerowicz inequality by using integrated Bochner inequality, from which we obtain a sharp lower bound for the first eigenvalue on the Finsler manifolds.
Physical foundations for relativistic spacetimes are revisited, in order to check at what extent Finsler spacetimes lie in their framework. Arguments based on inertial observers (as in the foundations of Special Relativity and Classical Mechanics) are shown to correspond with a double linear approximation in the measurement of space and time. While General Relativity appears by dropping the first linearization, Finsler spacetimes appear by dropping the second one. The classical Ehlers-Pirani-Schild approach is carefully discussed and shown to be compatible with the Lorentz-Finsler case. The pr…
Applying the cosmological principle to Finsler spacetimes, we identify the Lie Algebra of symmetry generators of spatially homogeneous and isotropic Finsler geometries, thus generalising Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker geometry. In particular, we find the most general spatially homogeneous and isotropic Berwald spacetimes, which are Finsler spacetimes that can be regarded as closest to pseudo-Riemannian geometry. They are defined by a Finsler Lagrangian built from a zero-homogeneous function on the tangent bundle, which encodes the velocity dependence of the Finsler Lagrangian in a very sp…
In this paper we first study some global properties of the energy functional on a non-reversible Finsler manifold. In particular we present a fully detailed proof of the Palais--Smale condition under the completeness of the Finsler metric. Moreover we define a Finsler metric of Randers type, which we call Fermat metric, associated to a conformally standard stationary spacetime. We shall study the influence of the Fermat metric on the causal properties of the spacetime, mainly the global hyperbolicity. Moreover we study the relations between the energy functional of the Fermat metric and the Fe…
We have obtained Finslerian Ressiner-Nordstrom solution where it is asymptotic to a Finsler spacetime with constant flag curvature while $r\rightarrow\infty$. The covariant derivative of modified Einstein tensor in Finslerian gravitational field equation for this solution is conserved. The symmetry of the special Finslerian Ressiner-Nordstrom spacetime, namely, Finsler spacetime with constant flag curvature, has been investigated. It admits four independent Killing vectors. The Finslerian Ressiner-Nordstrom solution differs from Ressiner-Nordstrom metric only in two dimensional subspace. And o…
The paper introduces a general mathematical framework for action based field theories on Finsler spacetimes. As most often fields on Finsler spacetime (e.g., the Finsler fundamental function or the resulting metric tensor) have a homogeneous dependence on the tangent directions of spacetime, we construct the appropriate configuration bundles whose sections are such homogeneous fields; on these configuration bundles, the tools of coordinate free calculus of variations can be consistently applied to obtain field equations. Moreover, we prove that general covariance of natural Finsler field Lagra…
In this paper, we introduce the weighted projective Ricci curvature as an extension of projective Ricci curvature introduced by Z. Shen. We characterize the class of Randers metrics of weighted projective Ricci flat curvature. We find the necessary and sufficient condition under which a Kropina metric has weighted projective Ricci flat curvature. Finally, we show that every projectively flat metric with isotropic weighted projective Ricci and isotropic S-curvature is a Kropina metric or Randers metric.
We show that the index of a lightlike geodesic in a conformally standard stationary spacetime is equal to the index of its spatial projection as a geodesic of a Finsler metric associated to the spacetime. Moreover we obtain the Morse relations of lightlike geodesics connecting a point to an integral line of the standard timelike Killing vector field by using Morse theory on the associated Finsler manifold. To this end, we prove a splitting lemma for the energy functional of a Finsler metric. Finally, we show that the reduction to Morse theory of a Finsler manifold can be done also for timelike…
We translate Penrose's singularity theorem to a Finsler spacetime. To that end, causal concepts in Lorentzian geometry are extended, including definitions and properties of focal points and trapped surfaces, with careful attention paid to the differences that arise in the Finslerian setting.
We show an analogue of the Lorentzian splitting theorem for weighted Lorentz-Finsler manifolds: If a weighted Berwald spacetime of nonnegative weighted Ricci curvature satisfies certain completeness and metrizability conditions and includes a timelike straight line, then it necessarily admits a one-dimensional family of isometric translations generated by the gradient vector field of a Busemann function. Moreover, our formulation in terms of the $ε$-range introduced in our previous work enables us to unify the previously known splitting theorems for weighted Lorentzian manifolds by Case and Wo…
We investigate the relation between weighted quasi-metric Spaces and Finsler Spaces. We show that the induced metric of a Randers space with reversible geodesics is a weighted quasi-metric space.
We develop the theory of weighted Ricci curvature in a weighted Lorentz-Finsler framework and extend the classical singularity theorems of general relativity. In order to reach this result, we generalize the Jacobi, Riccati and Raychaudhuri equations to weighted Finsler spacetimes and study their implications for the existence of conjugate points along causal geodesics. We also show a weighted Lorentz-Finsler version of the Bonnet-Myers theorem based on a generalized Bishop inequality.
In a $(1+n)$-dimensional Lorentz--Finsler manifold with $N$-Bakry--Émery Ricci curvature bounded below for $N\in(n,\infty]$, using the Riccati equation techniques, we established the Bishop--Gromov volume comparison for the so-called standard sets for comparisons in Lorentzian volumes (SCLVs).We also established the Günther volume comparison for SCLVs when the flag curvature was bounded above.
The Penrose plane wave limit is a remarkable property of Lorentzian spacetimes. Here, we discuss its extension to Finsler spacetimes by introducing suitable lightlike coordinates and adapting the Lorentzian definition of pp-waves. New examples of such Finsler pp-waves are also presented.
We investigate whether Szabo's metrizability theorem can be extended to Finsler spaces of indefinite signature. For smooth, positive definite Finsler metrics, this important theorem states that, if the metric is of Berwald type (i.e., its Chern-Rund connection defines an affine connection on the underlying manifold), then it is affinely equivalent to a Riemann space, meaning that its affine connection is the Levi-Civita connection of some Riemannian metric. We show for the first time that this result does not extend to Finsler spacetimes. More precisely, we find a large class of Berwald spacet…
The radar experiment connects the geometry of spacetime with an observers measurement of spatial length. We investigate the radar experiment on Finsler spacetimes which leads to a general definition of radar orthogonality and radar length. The directions radar orthogonal to an observer form the spatial equal time surface an observer experiences and the radar length is the physical length the observer associates to spatial objects. We demonstrate these concepts on a forth order polynomial Finsler spacetime geometry which may emerge from area metric or pre-metric linear electrodynamics or in qua…
The paper proposes extensions of the usual notions of Finslerian volume to time orientable Finsler spacetime manifolds. The basic idea is to replace, in the classical Busemann-Hausdorff and Holmes-Thompson definitions, integration on the indicatrices of the given metric (which are, in Lorentzian signature, non-compact, generally leading to infinite integrals) with integration on ellipsoids. Under certain conditions regarding the time orientations of the given spacetime, these ellipsoids can be attached to the given Lorentzian Finsler metric by means of a variational procedure. While the constr…
A systematic study of (smooth, strong) cone structures $\C$ and Lorentz-Finsler metrics $L$ is carried out. As a link between both notions, cone triples $(Ω,T, F)$, where $Ω$ (resp. $T$) is a 1-form (resp. vector field) with $Ω(T)\equiv 1$ and $F$, a Finsler metric on $\ker (Ω)$, are introduced. Explicit descriptions of all the Finsler spacetimes are given, paying special attention to stationary and static ones, as well as to issues related to differentiability. In particular, cone structures $\C$ are bijectively associated with classes of anisotropically conformal metrics $L$, and the notion …
Recent links between Finsler Geometry and the geometry of spacetimes are briefly revisited, and prospective ideas and results are explained. Special attention is paid to geometric problems with a direct motivation in Relativity and other parts of Physics.
The general notion of anisotropic connections $\nabla$ is revisited, including its precise relations with the standard setting of pseudo-Finsler metrics, i.e., the canonic nonlinear connection and the (linear) Finslerian connections. In particular, the vertically trivial Finsler connections are identified canonically with anisotropic connections. So, these connections provide a simple intrinsic interpretation of a part of any Finsler connection closer to the Koszul formulation in $M$. Moreover, a new covariant derivative and parallel transport along curves is introduced, taking first a self-pr…
We give the details of the proof of the equality between the critical groups, with respect the H^1 and C^1 topology, at a non-degenerate critical point of the energy functional of a non-reversible Finsler manifold (M,F), defined on the Hilbert manifold of the H^1 curves connecting two given points on M.
It is well-known that static vacuum solutions of Einstein equations are analytic in suitable coordinates. We ask here for an extension of this result in the context of Finsler gravity. We consider Finsler spacetimes that retain several properties of static Lorentzian spacetimes, are Berwald and have vanishing Ricci scalar.
Weighted Ricci curvatures with various weights of the S-curvature have played an important role in Finsler geometry, especially in the control of volumes of Finsler manifolds. In this paper, we study general weighted Ricci curvatures, and characterize Randers metrics of almost isotropic weighted Ricci curvatures.
We consider a triality between the Zermelo navigation problem, the geodesic flow on a Finslerian geometry of Randers type, and spacetimes in one dimension higher admitting a timelike conformal Killing vector field. From the latter viewpoint, the data of the Zermelo problem are encoded in a (conformally) Painleve-Gullstrand form of the spacetime metric, whereas the data of the Randers problem are encoded in a stationary generalisation of the usual optical metric. We discuss how the spacetime viewpoint gives a simple and physical perspective on various issues, including how Finsler geometries wi…
This is a survey article on recent progress of comparison geometry and geometric analysis on Finsler manifolds of weighted Ricci curvature bounded below. Our purpose is two-fold: Give a concise and geometric review on the birth of weighted Ricci curvature and its applications; Explain recent results from a nonlinear analogue of the $Γ$-calculus based on the Bochner inequality. In the latter we discuss some gradient estimates, functional inequalities, and isoperimetric inequalities.
We prove that, for a Finsler space, if the weighted Ricci curvature is bounded below by a positive number and the diam attains its maximal value, then it is isometric to a standard Finsler sphere. As an application, we show that the first eigenvalue of the Finsler-Laplacian attains its lower bound if and only if the Finsler manifold is isometric to a standard Finsler sphere, and moreover, we obtain an explicit 1-st eigenfunction on the sphere.
Operators on nonlinear metric measure spaces I: A New Laplacian comparison theorem on Finsler manifolds and a generalized Li-Yau approach to gradient estimates of Finslerian Schrödinger equation
Berwald geometries are Finsler geometries close to (pseudo)-Riemannian geometries. We establish a simple first order partial differential equation as necessary and sufficient condition, which a given Finsler Lagrangian has to satisfy to be of Berwald type. Applied to $(α,β)$-Finsler spaces, respectively $(A,B)$-Finsler spacetimes, this reduces to a necessary and sufficient condition for the Levi-Civita covariant derivative of the defining $1$-form. We illustrate our results with novel examples of $(α,β)$-Berwald geometries which represent Finslerian versions of Kundt (constant scalar invariant…
In this paper, we give a sharp lower bound for the first (nonzero) Neumann eigenvalue of Finsler-Laplacian in Finsler manifolds in terms of diameter, dimension, weighted Ricci curvature.
In this paper, we prove the local gradient estimate for harmonic functions on complete, noncompact Finsler measure spaces under the condition that the weighted Ricci curvature has a lower bound. As applications, we obtain Liouville type theorem on Finsler manifolds with nonnegative Ricci curvature.
Klartag recently gave a beautiful alternative proof of the isoperimetric inequalities of Levy-Gromov, Bakry-Ledoux, Bayle and E. Milman on weighted Riemannian manifolds. Klartag's approach is based on a generalization of the localization method (so-called needle decompositions) in convex geometry, inspired also by optimal transport theory. Cavalletti and Mondino subsequently generalized the localization method, in a different way more directly along optimal transport theory, to essentially non-branching metric measure spaces satisfying the curvature-dimension condition. This class in particula…
We establish Hardy inequalities involving a weight function on complete, not necessarily reversible Finsler manifolds. We prove that the superharmonicity of the weight function provides a sufficient condition to obtain Hardy inequalities. Namely, if $ρ$ is a nonnegative function and $-\boldsymbolΔ ρ\geq 0$ in weak sense, where $\boldsymbolΔ$ is the Finsler-Laplace operator defined by $ \boldsymbolΔ ρ= \mathrm{div}(\boldsymbol{\nabla} ρ)$, then we obtain the generalization of some Riemannian Hardy inequalities given in D'Ambrosio and Dipierro (Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré, 2013). By extending the res…
The Hawking and Penrose singularity theorems for low regularity Finsler spacetimes
Dipartimento di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Pisa（比萨大学数学系）；Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto（多伦多大学数学系）；Department of Mathematics, University of Osaka（大阪大学数学系）；RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP)（理化学研究所先进智能研究中心）；Department of Mathematics, University of Vienna（维也纳大学数学系）
We obtain some results in both Lorentz and Finsler geometries, by using a correspondence between the conformal structure (Causality) of standard stationary spacetimes on $M=\R\times S$ and Randers metrics on $S$. In particular, for stationary spacetimes, we give a simple characterization of when they are causally continuous or globally hyperbolic (including in the latter case, when $S$ is a Cauchy hypersurface), in terms of an associated Randers metric. Consequences for the computability of Cauchy developments are also derived. Causality suggests that the role of completeness in many results o…
We revisit the physical arguments which lead to the definition of the stress-energy tensor $T$ in the Lorentz-Finsler setting $(M,L)$ starting at classical Relativity. Both the standard heuristic approach using fluids and the Lagrangian one are taken into account. In particular, we argue that the Finslerian breaking of Lorentz symmetry makes $T$ an anisotropic 2-tensor (i. e., a tensor for each $L$-timelike direction), in contrast with the energy-momentum vectors defined on $M$. Such a tensor is compared with different ones obtained by using a Lagrangian approach. The notion of divergence is r…
