It is an open question whether fluctuations at the Planck scale in a non-perturbative theory of quantum gravity behave in such a way that the resulting semi-classical geometry can be modelled by a space that admits (approximate) Killing symmetries. We have investigated whether the notion of approximate Killing vector fields is suitable to address this question in lattice theories of quantum gravity, such as (Causal) Dynamical Triangulations. We show that it is possible to construct quantum observables related to approximate Killing vector fields using the framework of Discrete Exterior Calculus. We have evaluated the expectation value of one particular choice of observable on three toy models of two-dimensional quantum gravity.
We present a brief overview of black hole spacetimes admitting Killing-Yano tensors. In vacuum these include Kerr-NUT-(A)dS metrics and certain black brane solutions. In the presence of matter fields, (conformal) Killing-Yano symmetries are known to exist for the Plebanski-Demianski solution and (trivially) for any spacetime with spherical symmetry. Special attention is devoted to generalized Killing-Yano tensors of black holes in minimal gauged supergravity. Several aspects directly related to the existence of Killing-Yano tensors, such as the Kerr-Schild form, algebraic type of spacetimes, a…
We investigate asymptotic symmetries regularly defined on spherically symmetric Killing horizons in the Einstein theory with or without the cosmological constant. Those asymptotic symmetries are described by asymptotic Killing vectors, along which the Lie derivatives of perturbed metrics vanish on a Killing horizon. We derive the general form of asymptotic Killing vectors and find that the group of the asymptotic symmetries consists of rigid O(3) rotations of a horizon two-sphere and supertranslations along the null direction on the horizon, which depend arbitrarily on the null coordinate as w…
Benefiting from the index spinorial formalism, the Killing spinor equation is integrated in six-dimensional spacetimes. The integrability conditions for the existence of a Killing spinor are worked out and the Killing spinors are classified in two algebraic types, in the first type the scalar curvature of the spacetime must be negative, while in the second type the spacetime must be an Einstein manifold. In addition, the equations that define Killing-Yano (KY) and closed conformal Killing-Yano (CCKY) tensors are expressed in the index notation and, as consequence, all non-vanishing KY and CCKY…
We investigate the hidden symmetries and existence of Killing spinors of D=5 minimal gauged supergravity solutions which admit a Killing-Maxwell system in the sense of Carter, such as the Chong-Cveti$\check{c}$-Lü-Pope (CCLP) Kerr-dS black hole spacetime and a 5-dimensional minimal gauged supergravity solution endowed with a Sasaki structure deformed by torsion, a limiting case of the generalization of the 5-dimensional toric Sasaki-Einstein $L^{a,b,c}$ spacetime. We note that when an electromagnetic tensor is present and an associated Killing-Maxwell system can be constructed in the sense of …
We present a novel family of slowly rotating black hole solutions in four, and higher dimensions, that extend the well known Lense-Thirring spacetime and solve the field equations to linear order in rotation parameter. As "exact metrics" in their own right, the new (non-vacuum) spacetimes feature the following two remarkable properties: i) near the black hole horizon they can be cast in the, manifestly regular, Painlevé-Gullstrand form and ii) they admit exact Killing tensor symmetries. We show these symmetries are inherited from the principal Killing-Yano tensor of the exact rotating black ho…
We investigate the hidden symmetries of the Kerr-Newman, of the D=5 minimal gauged supergravity which admits a Killing-Maxwell system in the sense of Carter and of higher dimensional spacetimes in the presence of Killing-Yano torsion. We note that when an electromagnetic tensor is present and an associated Killing-Maxwell system can be constructed in the sense of Carter, the Killing- Maxwell field becomes a PCKY (primary conformal Killing-Yano) tensor or a PGCKY (primary generalized conformal Killing-Yano) tensor, the latter in the presence of torsion. We point out the structure of the Dirac-t…
In this paper, we discuss hidden symmetries in rotating black hole spacetimes. We start with an extended introduction which mainly summarizes results on hidden symmetries in four dimensions and introduces Killing and Killing-Yano tensors, objects responsible for hidden symmetries. We also demonstrate how starting with a principal CKY tensor (that is a closed non-degenerate conformal Killing-Yano 2-form) in 4D flat spacetime one can "generate" 4D Kerr-NUT-(A)dS solution and its hidden symmetries. After this we consider higher-dimensional Kerr-NUT-(A)dS metrics and demonstrate that they possess …
It is well known that the Kerr-NUT-AdS-dS black hole admits two linearly independent Killing vectors and possesses a hidden symmetry generated by a rank-2 Killing tensor. The near-horizon geometry of an extremal Kerr-NUT-AdS-dS black hole admits four linearly independent Killing vectors, and we show how the hidden symmetry of the black hole itself is carried over by means of a modified Killing-Yano potential which is given explicitly. We demonstrate that the corresponding Killing tensor of the near-horizon geometry is reducible as it can be expressed in terms of the Casimir operators formed by…
We develop a new approach to find asymptotic symmetries in general relativity as a modification of the Lie-algebra-based approach proposed in T. Tomitsuka et al. [Classical Quantum Gravity 38, 225007 (2021)]. Those authors proposed an algorithmic protocol to investigate asymptotic symmetries. In particular, their guiding principle helps us to find a non-vanishing charge that generates an infinitesimal diffeomorphism. However, in order to check the integrability condition for the charges, it is necessary to solve differential equations to identify the integral curve of vector fields, which is u…
We demonstrate that the rotating black holes in an arbitrary number of dimensions and without any restrictions on their rotation parameters possess the same `hidden' symmetry as the 4-dimensional Kerr metric. Namely, besides the spacetime symmetries generated by the Killing vectors they also admit the (antisymmetric) Killing-Yano and symmetric Killing tensors.
In this paper, we continue the study of the Killing symmetries of a N-dimensional generalized Minkowski space, i.e. a space endowed with a (in general non-diagonal) metric tensor, whose coefficients do depend on a set of non-metrical coodinates. We discuss here the translations in such spaces, by confining ourselves (without loss of generality) to the four-dimensional case. In particular, the results obtained are specialized to the case of a ''deformed'' Minkowski space $\widetilde{M_{4}}$ (i.e. a pseudoeuclidean space with metric coefficients depending on energy).
It has often been suggested (especially by Carlip) that spacetime symmetries in the neighborhood of a black hole horizon may be relevant to a statistical understanding of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. A prime candidate for this type of symmetry is that which is exhibited by the Einstein tensor. More precisely, it is now known that this tensor takes on a strongly constrained (block-diagonal) form as it approaches any stationary, non-extremal Killing horizon. Presently, exploiting the geometrical properties of such horizons, we provide a particularly elegant argument that substantiates this hi…
We consider a general charged, rotating black hole in five-dimensional STU supergravity, and show that its six-dimensional Kaluza-Klein lift admits a Killing-Yano 3-form with torsion. This underlies its known Killing tensors in five dimensions, and is related to the separability of torsion-modified Dirac equations. In the generalization to gauged supergravity, we present a five-dimensional Killing-Yano 3-form with torsion when two of the gauge fields are equal, and a Killing-Stackel tensor in the general 3-charge Wu solution.
We present the TCFH of 11-dimensional supergravity and so demonstrate that the form bilinears of supersymmetric solutions satisfy a generalisation of the conformal Killing-Yano equation with resepct to the TCFH connection. We also compute the Killing-Stäckel, Killing-Yano and closed conformal Killing-Yano tensors of all spherically symmetric M-branes that include the M2-brane, M5-brane, KK-monopole and pp-wave and demonstrate that their geodesic flows are completely integrable by giving all independent conserved charges in involution. We then find that all form bilinears of pp-wave and KK-mono…
We formulate several criteria under which the symmetries associated with the Killing and Killing-Yano tensors on the base space can be lifted to the symmetries of the full warped geometry. The procedure is explicitly illustrated on several examples, providing new prototypes of spacetimes admitting such tensors. In particular, we study a warped product of two Kerr-NUT-(A)dS spacetimes and show that it gives rise to a new class of highly symmetric vacuum (with cosmological constant) black hole solutions that inherit many of the properties of the Kerr-NUT-(A)dS geometry.
A new method is presented for finding Killing tensors in spacetimes with symmetries. The method is used to find all the Killing tensors of Melvin's magnetic universe and the Schwarzschild vacuum. We show that they are all trivial. The method requires less computation than solving the full Killing tensor equations directly, and it can be used even when the spacetime is not algebraically special.
We analyze asymptotic symmetries on the Killing horizon of the four-dimensional Kerr--Newman black hole. We first derive the asymptotic Killing vectors on the Killing horizon, which describe the asymptotic symmetries, and find that the general form of these asymptotic Killing vectors is the universal one possessed by arbitrary Killing horizons. We then construct the phase space associated with the asymptotic symmetries. It is shown that the phase space of an extreme black hole either has the size comparable with a non-extreme black hole, or is small enough to exclude degeneracy, depending on w…
In this paper, we continue the study of the Killing symmetries of a N-dimensional generalized Minkowski space, i.e. a space endowed with a (in general non-diagonal) metric tensor, whose coefficients do depend on a set of non-metrical coordinates. We discuss here the finite structure of the space-time rotations in such spaces, by confining ourselves (without loss of generality) to the four-dimensional case. In particular, the results obtained are specialized to the case of a ''deformed'' Minkowski space $% \widetilde{M_{4}}$ (i.e. a pseudoeuclidean space with metric coefficients depending on en…
We study hidden symmetries, the symmetries associated with the Killing tensors, of the near horizon geometry of odd-dimensional Kerr-AdS-NUT black hole in two limits: generic extremal and extremal vanishing horizon (EVH) limits. Starting from Kerr-AdS-NUT black hole in ellipsoidal coordinates which admits integrable geodesic equations, we obtain the near horizon extremal/EVH geometries and their principal and Killing tensors by taking the near horizon limit. We explicitly demonstrate that geodesic equations are separable and integrable on theses near horizon geometries. We also compute the con…
We revise and generalize the properties of the electric and the magnetic scalar potentials in spacetimes admitting a Killing vector field: Their constancy on the Killing horizons, uniqueness of solution for the electromagnetic test fields and the relation between the Bianchi identity and Maxwell's equations. In each of these examples, collinearity of currents with the Killing vector field is shown to be the crucial property.
We calculate the effective Komar conserved quantities for the $N+1$ dimensional charged Myers-Perry spacetime. At the event horizon we derive a new identity $K_{χ^μ}=2ST$ where the left hand side is the Komar conserved quantity corresponding to the null Killing vector $χ^μ$ while in the right hand side $S,~T$ are the black hole entropy and Hawking temperature. From this identity we also derive the generalized Smarr formula connecting the macroscopic parameters $M,~J,~Q$ of the black hole with its surface gravity and horizon area. The consistency of this new formula is established by an indepen…
We present the twisted covariant form hierarchies (TCFH) of type IIA and IIB 10-dimensional supergravities and show that all form bilinears of supersymmetric backgrounds satisfy the conformal Killing-Yano equation with respect to a TCFH connection. We also compute the Killing-Stäckel, Killing-Yano and closed conformal Killing-Yano tensors of all spherically symmetric type II brane backgrounds and demonstrate that the geodesic flow on these solutions is completely integrable by giving all independent charges in involution. We then identify all form bilinears of common sector and D-brane backgro…
The existence of a Killing symmetry in a gauge theory is equivalent to the addition of extra Hamiltonian constraints in its phase space formulation, which imply restrictions both on the Dirac observables (the gauge invariant physical degrees of freedom) and on the gauge freedom. When there is a time-like Killing vector field only pure gauge electromagnetic fields survive in Maxwell theory in Minkowski space-time , while in ADM canonical gravity in asymptotically Minkowskian space-times only inertial effects without gravitational waves survive.
This paper is devoted to investigate the Killing and Noether symmetries of static plane symmetric spacetime. For this purpose, five different cases have been discussed. The Killing and Noether symmetries of Minkwoski spacetime in cartesian coordinates are calculated as a special case and it is found that Lie algebra of the Lagrangian is 10 and 17 dimensional respectively. The symmetries of Taub's universe, anti-deSitter universe, self similar solutions of infinite kind for parallel perfect fluid case and self similar solutions of infinite kind for parallel dust case are also explored. In all t…
In this paper, we introduce the concept of N-dimensional generalized Minkowski space, i.e. a space endowed with a (in general non-diagonal) metric tensor, whose coefficients do depend on a set of non-metrical coodinates. This is the first of a series of papers devoted to the investigation of the Killing symmetries of generalized Minkowski spaces. In particular, we discuss here the infinitesimal-algebraic structure of the space-time rotations in such spaces. It is shown that the maximal Killing group of these spaces is the direct product of a generalized Lorentz group and a generalized translat…
In the present work, using the recently introduced framework of local geometric deformations, special types of vector fields - so-called hidden Killing vector fields - are constructed, which solve the Killing equation not globally, but only locally, i.e. in local subregions of spacetime. Taking advantage of the fact that the vector fields coincide locally with Killing fields and therefore allow the consideration of integral laws that convert into exact physical conservation laws on local scales, balance laws in dynamical systems without global Killing symmetries are derived that mimic as close…
We elaborate on basic properties of generalized Killing-Yano tensors which naturally extend Killing-Yano symmetry in the presence of skew-symmetric torsion. In particular, we discuss their relationship to Killing tensors and the separability of various field equations. We further demonstrate that the Kerr-Sen black hole spacetime of heterotic string theory, as well as its generalization to all dimensions, possesses a generalized closed conformal Killing-Yano 2-form with respect to a torsion identified with the 3-form occuring naturally in the theory. Such a 2-form is responsible for complete i…
General $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ supergravity-matter systems in six dimensions may be described using one of the two fully fledged superspace formulations for conformal supergravity: (i) $\mathsf{SU}(2)$ superspace; and (ii) conformal superspace. With motivation to develop rigid supersymmetric field theories in curved space, this paper is devoted to the study of the geometric symmetries of supergravity backgrounds. In particular, we introduce the notion of a conformal Killing spinor superfield $ε^α$, which proves to generate extended superconformal transformations. Among its cousins are the conform…
We consider geometric and supergravity Killing spinors and the spinor bilinears constructed out of them. The spinor bilinears of geometric Killing spinors correspond to the antisymmetric generalizations of Killing vector fields which are called Killing-Yano forms. They constitute a Lie superalgebra structure in constant curvature spacetimes. We show that the Dirac currents of geometric Killing spinors satisfy a Lie algebra structure up to a condition on 2-form spinor bilinears. We propose that the spinor bilinears of supergravity Killing spinors give way to different generalizations of Killing…
Higher order symmetries corresponding to Killing tensors are investigated. The intimate relation between Killing-Yano tensors and non-standard supersymmetries is pointed out. In the Dirac theory on curved spaces, Killing-Yano tensors generate Dirac type operators involved in interesting algebraic structures as dynamical algebras or even infinite dimensional algebras or superalgebras. The general results are applied to space-times which appear in modern studies. One presents the infinite dimensional superalgebra of Dirac type operators on the 4-dimensional Euclidean Taub-NUT space that can be s…
All Killing symmetries in complex $\mathcal{H}$-spaces with $Λ$ in terms of the Plebański - Robinson - Finley coordinate system are found. All $\mathcal{H}$-metrics with $Λ$ admitting a null Killing vector are explicitly given. It is shown that the problem of non-null Killing vector reduces to looking for solution of the Boyer - Finley - Plebański (Toda field) equation
We define the cohomogeneity one string, string with continuous symmetries, as its world surface is tangent to a Killing vector field of a target space. We classify the Killing vector fields by an equivalence relation using isometries of the target space. We find that the equivalence classes of Killing vectors in Minkowski spacetime are partitioned into seven families. It is clarified that there exist seven types of strings with spacelike symmetries and four types of strings with timelike symmetries, stationary strings.
The Einstein equations for spacetimes with two commuting spacelike Killing field symmetries are studied from a Hamiltonian point of view. The complexified Ashtekar canonical variables are used, and the symmetry reduction is performed directly in the Hamiltonian theory. The reduced system corresponds to the field equations of the SL(2,R) chiral model with additional constraints. On the classical phase space, a method of obtaining an infinite number of constants of the motion, or observables, is given. The procedure involves writing the Hamiltonian evolution equations as a single `zero curvature…
When spacetime torsion is present, geodesics and autoparallels generically do not coincide. In this work, the well-known method that uses Killing vectors to solve the geodesic equations is generalized for autoparallels. The main definition is that of T-Killing vectors: vector fields such that, when their index is lowered with the metric, have vanishing symmetric derivative when acted with a torsionfull and metric-compatible derivative. The main property of T-Killing vectors is that their contraction with the autoparallels' tangents are constant along these curves. As an example, in a static an…
We explore the symmetries of classical stationary spacetimes in terms of the dynamics of a spinning string described by a worldsheet supersymmetric action. We show that for stationary configurations of the string, the action reduces to that for a pseudo-classical spinning point particle in an effective space, which is a conformally scaled quotient space of the original spacetime. As an example, we consider the stationary spinning string in the Kerr-Newman spacetime, whose motion is equivalent to that of the spinning point particle in the three-dimensional effective space. We present the Killin…
The continuous and discrete symmetries of the Dirac-type operators produced by particular Killing-Yano tensors are studied in manifolds of arbitrary dimensions. The Killing-Yano tensors considered are covariantly constant and realize certain square roots of the metric tensor. Such a Killing-Yano tensor produces simultaneously a Dirac-type operator and the generator of a one-parameter Lie group connecting this operator with the standard Dirac one. The Dirac operators are related among themselves through continuous or discrete transformations. It is shown that the groups of the continuous symmet…
An approximate Killing field may be defined on a compact, Riemannian geometry by solving an eigenvalue problem for a certain elliptic operator. This paper studies the effect of small perturbations in the Riemannian metric on the resulting vector field. It shows that small metric perturbations, as measured using a Sobolev-type supremum norm on the space of Riemannian geometries on a fixed manifold, yield small perturbations in the approximate Killing field, as measured using a Hilbert-type square integral norm. It also discusses applications to the problem of computing the spin of a generic bla…
This note describes a local scheme to characterize and normalize an axial Killing field on a general Riemannian geometry. No global assumptions are necessary, such as that the orbits of the Killing field all have period $2 π$. Rather, any Killing field that vanishes at at least one point necessarily has the expected global properties.
Important classes of null geodesics and hidden symmetries in the Sen black hole are investigated. First, we obtain the principal null geodesics and circular photon orbits. Then, an irreducible rank-two Killing tensor and a conformal Killing tensor are derived, which represent the hidden symmetries. Analyzing the properties of Killing tensors, we clarify why the Hamilton-Jacobi and wave equations are separable in this spacetime. We also investigate the gravitational capture of photons by the Sen black hole and compare the result with those by the various charged/rotating black holes and naked s…
In covariant metric theories of coupled gravity-matter systems the necessary and sufficient conditions ensuring the existence of a Killing vector field are investigated. It is shown that the symmetries of initial data sets are preserved by the evolution of hyperbolic systems.
In the background of a stationary black hole, the "conserved current" of a particular spinor field always approaches the null Killing vector on the horizon. What's more, when the black hole is asymptotically flat and when the coordinate system is asymptotically static, then the same current also approaches the time Killing vector at the spatial infinity. We test these results against various black hole solutions and no exception is found. The spinor field only needs to satisfy a very general and simple constraint.
This is a short pedagogical introduction to the subject of Killing-Stackel and Killing-Yano tensors and their role in the integrability of various types of equations that are of physical interest in curved spacetime, the main application being higher dimensional rotating black holes with cosmological constant.
We show that Belinfante construction of an improved energy-momentum tensor can be carried over to curved backgrounds, in analogy to the case of flat spacetime. The results hold irrespective of the background being dynamical or a fixed, non-backreacting one. It turns out that the analogous would-be canonical energy-momentum tensor is not covariantly conserved in general, but its Belinfante "improvement" is. We relate this last tensor with the Hilbert tensor obtained by functionally derivating the Lagrangian with respect to the metric. When the background in non-dynamical, we discuss some issues…
In this short note, we verify explicitly in static coordinates that the non trivial asymptotic Killing vectors at spatial infinity for anti-de Sitter space-times correspond one to one to the conformal Killing vectors of the conformally flat metric induced on the boundary. The fall-off conditions for the metric perturbations that guarantee finiteness of the associated conserved charges are derived.
Vacuum gravitational fields invariant for a bidimensional non Abelian Lie algebra of Killing fields, are explicitly described. They are parameterized either by solutions of a transcendental equation (the tortoise equation) or by solutions of a linear second order differential equation on the plane. Gravitational fields determined via the tortoise equation, are invariant for a 3-dimensional Lie algebra of Killing fields with bidimensional leaves. Global gravitational fields out of local ones are also constructed.
We investigate Killing tensors for various black hole solutions of supergravity theories. Rotating black holes of an ungauged theory, toroidally compactified heterotic supergravity, with NUT parameters and two U(1) gauge fields are constructed. If both charges are set equal, then the solutions simplify, and then there are concise expressions for rank-2 conformal Killing-Stackel tensors. These are induced by rank-2 Killing-Stackel tensors of a conformally related metric that possesses a separability structure. We directly verify the separation of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation on this conformally…
The conformal Killing equations for the most general (non-plane wave) conformally flat pure radiation field are solved to find the conformal Killing vectors. As expected fifteen independent conformal Killing vectors exist, but in general the metric admits no Killing or homothetic vectors. However for certain special cases a one-dimensional group of homotheties or motions may exist and in one very special case, overlooked by previous investigators, a two-dimensional homethety group exists. No higher dimensional groups of motions or homotheties are admitted by these metrics.
We construct analytic extensions across the Killing horizons of non-extremal and extremal dipole black rings in Einstein-Maxwell's theory using different methods. We show that these extensions are non-globally hyperbolic, have multiple asymptotically flat regions and in the non-extremal case, are also maximal and timelike complete. Moreover, we find that in both cases the causal structure of the maximally extended space-time resembles that of the 4-dimensional Reissner-Nordström black hole. Furthermore, motivated by the physical interpretation of one of these extensions, we find a separable so…
The paper contains a brief review of recent results on hidden symmetries in higher dimensional black hole spacetimes. We show how the existence of a principal CKY tensor (that is a closed non-degenerate conformal Killing-Yano 2-form) allows one to generate a `tower' of Killing-Yano and Killing tensors responcible for hidden symmetries. These symmetries imply complete integrability of geodesic equations and the complete separation of variables in the Hamilton-Jacobi, Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations in the general Kerr-NUT-(A)dS metrics.
We perturbatively construct a three-dimensional rotating AdS black hole with a real scalar hair. We choose the mass of a scalar field slightly above the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound and impose a more general boundary condition for the bulk scalar field at AdS infinity. We first show that rotating BTZ black holes are unstable against superradiant modes under our more general boundary condition. Next we construct a rotating hairy black hole perturbatively with respect to a small amplitude $ε$ of the scalar field, up to $O(ε^4)$. The lumps of non-linearly perturbed geometry admit only one Killing…
The paper contains a brief review of recent results on hidden symmetries in higher dimensional black hole spacetimes. We show how the existence of a principal CKY tensor (that is a closed conformal Killing-Yano 2-form) allows one to generate a `tower' of Killing-Yano and Killing tensors responsible for hidden symmetries. These symmetries imply complete integrability of geodesic equations and the complete separation of variables in the Hamilton-Jacobi, Klein-Gordon, Dirac and gravitational perturbation equations in the general Kerr-NUT-(A)dS metrics. Equations of the parallel transport of frame…
Generalizing the Lie derivative of smooth tensor fields to distribution-valued tensors, we examine the Killing symmetries and the collineations of the curvature tensors of some distributional domain wall geometries. The chosen geometries are rigorously the distributional thin wall limit of self gravitating scalar field configurations representing thick domain walls and the permanence and/or the rising of symmetries in the limit process is studied. We show that, for all the thin wall spacetimes considered, the symmetries of the distributional curvature tensors turns out to be the Killing symmet…
