No Arabic abstract
In the years 1917-1919 Tullio Levi-Civita published a number of papers presenting new solutions to Einsteins equations. This work, while partially translated, remains largely inaccessible to English speaking authors. In this paper we review these solutions, and present them in a modern, readable manner. We will also compute both Cartan-Karlhede and Carminati-Mclenaghan invariants such that these solutions are invariantly characterized by two distinct methods. These methods will allow for these solutions to be totally, and invariantly characterized. Because of the variety of solutions considered here, this paper will also be a useful reference for those seeking to learn to apply the Cartan-Karlhede algorithm in practice.
Applying the Pomeransky inverse scattering method to the four-dimensional vacuum Einstein equation and using the Levi-Civita solution for a seed, we construct a cylindrically symmetric single-soliton solution. Although the Levi-Civita spacetime generally includes singularities on its axis of symmetry, it is shown that for the obtained single-soliton solution, such singularities can be removed by choice of certain special parameters. This single-soliton solution describes propagation of nonlinear cylindrical gravitational shock wave pulses rather than solitonic waves. By analyzing wave amplitudes and time-dependence of polarization angles, we provides physical description of the single-soliton solution.
Applying the Pomeransky inverse scattering method to the four-dimensional vacuum Einstein equations and using the Levi-Civita solution as a seed, we construct a two-soliton solution with cylindrical symmetry. In our previous work, we constructed the one-soliton solution with a real pole and showed that the singularities that the Levi-Civita background has on an axis can be removed by the choice of certain special parameters, but it still has unavoidable null singularities, as usual one-solitons do. In this work, we show that for the two-soliton solutions, any singularities can be removed by suitable parameter-setting and such solutions describe the propagation of gravitational wave packets. Moreover, in terms of the two-soliton solutions, we mention a time shift phenomenon, the coalescence and the split of solitons as the nonlinear effect of gravitational waves.
We study the most general solution for affine connections that are compatible with the variational principle in the Palatini formalism for the Einstein-Hilbert action (with possible minimally coupled matter terms). We find that there is a family of solutions generalising the Levi-Civita connection, characterised by an arbitrary, non-dynamical vector field ${cal A}_mu$. We discuss the mathematical properties and the physical implications of this family and argue that, although there is a clear mathematical difference between these new Palatini connections and the Levi-Civita one, both unparametrised geodesics and the Einstein equation are shared by all of them. Moreover, the Palatini connections are characterised precisely by these two properties, as well as by other properties of its parallel transport. Based on this, we conclude that physical effects associated to the choice of one or the other will not be distinguishable, at least not at the level of solutions or test particle dynamics. We propose a geometrical interpretation for the existence and unobservability of the new solutions.
We consider an exact Einstein-Maxwell solution constructed by Alekseev and Garcia which describes a Schwarzschild black hole immersed in the magnetic universe of Levi-Civita, Bertotti and Robinson (LCBR). After reviewing the basic properties of this spacetime, we study the ultrarelativistic limit in which the black hole is boosted to the speed of light, while sending its mass to zero. This results in a non-expanding impulsive wave traveling in the LCBR universe. The wave front is a 2-sphere carrying two null point particles at its poles -- a remnant of the structure of the original static spacetime. It is also shown that the obtained line-element belongs to the Kundt class of spacetimes, and the relation with a known family of exact gravitational waves of finite duration propagating in the LCBR background is clarified. In the limit of a vanishing electromagnetic field, one point particle is pushed away to infinity and the single-particle Aichelburg-Sexl pp-wave propagating in Minkowski space is recovered.
The quasi-spherical Szekeres dust solutions are a generalization of the spherically symmetric Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi dust models where the spherical shells of constant mass are non-concentric. The quasi-spherical Szekeres dust solutions can be considered as cosmological models and are potentially models for the formation of primordial black holes in the early universe. Any collapsing quasi-spherical Szekeres dust solution where an apparent horizon covers all shell-crossings that will occur can be considered as a model for the formation of a black hole. In this paper we will show that the apparent horizon can be detected by a Cartan invariant. We will show that particular Cartan invariants characterize properties of these solutions which have a physical interpretation such as: the expansion or contraction of spacetime itself, the relative movement of matter shells, shell-crossings and the appearance of necks and bellies.