Construction of a complex null tetrad

Calculations in the Newman–Penrose (NP) formalism of general relativity normally begin with the construction of a complex null tetrad , where is a pair of real null vectors and is a pair of complex null vectors. These tetrad vectors respect the following normalization and metric conditions assuming the spacetime signature

Only after the tetrad gets constructed can one move forward to compute the directional derivatives, spin coefficients, commutators, Weyl-NP scalars , Ricci-NP scalars and Maxwell-NP scalars and other quantities in NP formalism. There are three most commonly used methods to construct a complex null tetrad:

  1. All four tetrad vectors are nonholonomic combinations of orthonormal tetrads;[1]
  2. (or ) are aligned with the outgoing (or ingoing) tangent vector field of null radial geodesics, while and are constructed via the nonholonomic method;[2]
  3. A tetrad which is adapted to the spacetime structure from a 3 1 perspective, with its general form being assumed and tetrad functions therein to be solved.

In the context below, it will be shown how these three methods work.

Note: In addition to the convention employed in this article, the other one in use is .

Nonholonomic tetrad

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The primary method to construct a complex null tetrad is via combinations of orthonormal bases.[1] For a spacetime   with an orthonormal tetrad  ,

 

the covectors   of the nonholonomic complex null tetrad can be constructed by

 
 

and the tetrad vectors   can be obtained by raising the indices of   via the inverse metric  .

Remark: The nonholonomic construction is actually in accordance with the local light cone structure.[1]

Example: A nonholonomic tetrad

Given a spacetime metric of the form (in signature(-, , , ))

 

the nonholonomic orthonormal covectors are therefore

 

and the nonholonomic null covectors are therefore

   
   

la (na) aligned with null radial geodesics

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In Minkowski spacetime, the nonholonomically constructed null vectors   respectively match the outgoing and ingoing null radial rays. As an extension of this idea in generic curved spacetimes,   can still be aligned with the tangent vector field of null radial congruence.[2] However, this type of adaption only works for  ,   or   coordinates where the radial behaviors can be well described, with   and   denote the outgoing (retarded) and ingoing (advanced) null coordinate, respectively.

Example: Null tetrad for Schwarzschild metric in Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates reads

 

so the Lagrangian for null radial geodesics of the Schwarzschild spacetime is

 

which has an ingoing solution   and an outgoing solution  . Now, one can construct a complex null tetrad which is adapted to the ingoing null radial geodesics:

 

and the dual basis covectors are therefore

 

Here we utilized the cross-normalization condition   as well as the requirement that   should span the induced metric   for cross-sections of {v=constant, r=constant}, where   and   are not mutually orthogonal. Also, the remaining two tetrad (co)vectors are constructed nonholonomically. With the tetrad defined, one is now able to respectively find out the spin coefficients, Weyl-Np scalars and Ricci-NP scalars that

 
 

 

 

Example: Null tetrad for extremal Reissner–Nordström metric in Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates reads

 

so the Lagrangian is

 

For null radial geodesics with  , there are two solutions

  (ingoing) and   (outgoing),

and therefore the tetrad for an ingoing observer can be set up as

 
 
 

With the tetrad defined, we are now able to work out the spin coefficients, Weyl-NP scalars and Ricci-NP scalars that

 
 

 

 

Tetrads adapted to the spacetime structure

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At some typical boundary regions such as null infinity, timelike infinity, spacelike infinity, black hole horizons and cosmological horizons, null tetrads adapted to spacetime structures are usually employed to achieve the most succinct Newman–Penrose descriptions.

Newman-Unti tetrad for null infinity

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For null infinity, the classic Newman-Unti (NU) tetrad[3][4][5] is employed to study asymptotic behaviors at null infinity,

 
 
 
 

where   are tetrad functions to be solved. For the NU tetrad, the foliation leaves are parameterized by the outgoing (advanced) null coordinate   with  , and   is the normalized affine coordinate along    ; the ingoing null vector   acts as the null generator at null infinity with  . The coordinates   comprise two real affine coordinates   and two complex stereographic coordinates  , where   are the usual spherical coordinates on the cross-section   (as shown in ref.,[5] complex stereographic rather than real isothermal coordinates are used just for the convenience of completely solving NP equations).

Also, for the NU tetrad, the basic gauge conditions are

 

Adapted tetrad for exteriors and near-horizon vicinity of isolated horizons

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For a more comprehensive view of black holes in quasilocal definitions, adapted tetrads which can be smoothly transited from the exterior to the near-horizon vicinity and to the horizons are required. For example, for isolated horizons describing black holes in equilibrium with their exteriors, such a tetrad and the related coordinates can be constructed this way.[6][7][8][9][10][11] Choose the first real null covector   as the gradient of foliation leaves

 
where   is the ingoing (retarded) Eddington–Finkelstein-type null coordinate, which labels the foliation cross-sections and acts as an affine parameter with regard to the outgoing null vector field  , i.e.

 
Introduce the second coordinate   as an affine parameter along the ingoing null vector field  , which obeys the normalization

 

Now, the first real null tetrad vector   is fixed. To determine the remaining tetrad vectors   and their covectors, besides the basic cross-normalization conditions, it is also required that: (i) the outgoing null normal field   acts as the null generators; (ii) the null frame (covectors)   are parallelly propagated along  ; (iii)   spans the {t=constant, r=constant} cross-sections which are labeled by real isothermal coordinates  .

Tetrads satisfying the above restrictions can be expressed in the general form that

 
 
 
 

The gauge conditions in this tetrad are

 

Remark: Unlike Schwarzschild-type coordinates, here r=0 represents the horizon, while r>0 (r<0) corresponds to the exterior (interior) of an isolated horizon. People often Taylor expand a scalar   function with respect to the horizon r=0,

 

where   refers to its on-horizon value. The very coordinates used in the adapted tetrad above are actually the Gaussian null coordinates employed in studying near-horizon geometry and mechanics of black holes.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c David McMahon. Relativity Demystified - A Self-Teaching Guide. Chapter 9: Null Tetrads and the Petrov Classification. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes. Section ξ20, Section ξ21, Section ξ41, Section ξ56, Section ξ63(b). Chicago: University of Chikago Press, 1983.
  3. ^ Ezra T Newman, Theodore W J Unti. Behavior of asymptotically flat empty spaces. Journal of Mathematical Physics, 1962, 3(5): 891-901.
  4. ^ Ezra T Newman, Roger Penrose. An Approach to Gravitational Radiation by a Method of Spin Coefficients. Section IV. Journal of Mathematical Physics, 1962, 3(3): 566-768.
  5. ^ a b E T Newman, K P Tod. Asymptotically Flat Spacetimes, Appendix B. In A Held (Editor): General relativity and gravitation: one hundred years after the birth of Albert Einstein. Vol(2), page 1-34. New York and London: Plenum Press, 1980.
  6. ^ Xiaoning Wu, Sijie Gao. Tunneling effect near weakly isolated horizon. Physical Review D, 2007, 75(4): 044027. arXiv:gr-qc/0702033v1
  7. ^ Xiaoning Wu, Chao-Guang Huang, Jia-Rui Sun. On gravitational anomaly and Hawking radiation near weakly isolated horizon. Physical Review D, 2008, 77(12): 124023. arXiv:0801.1347v1(gr-qc)
  8. ^ Yu-Huei Wu, Chih-Hung Wang. Gravitational radiation of generic isolated horizons. arXiv:0807.2649v1(gr-qc)
  9. ^ Xiao-Ning Wu, Yu Tian. Extremal isolated horizon/CFT correspondence. Physical Review D, 2009, 80(2): 024014. arXiv: 0904.1554(hep-th)
  10. ^ Yu-Huei Wu, Chih-Hung Wang. Gravitational radiations of generic isolated horizons and non-rotating dynamical horizons from asymptotic expansions. Physical Review D, 2009, 80(6): 063002. arXiv:0906.1551v1(gr-qc)
  11. ^ Badri Krishnan. The spacetime in the neighborhood of a general isolated black hole. arXiv:1204.4345v1 (gr-qc)