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Effect of cold plasma on the form of rays propagating in the equatorial plane of a rotating black hole is investigated. Two kinds of regions in the radius-impact parameter plane allowed for the rays are constructed: for radiation with a given frequency at infinity and for radiation with a given ``telescope frequency'' seen by a local observer. The form of allowed regions for locally nonrotating observers as well as observers falling freely from infinity is established. The allowed regions contain rays which directly reach the horizon, or there exists a ``neck'' connecting the forbidden regions such that the rays coming from infinity cannot reach the horizon. In case we considered a set of observers at various radii instead of the neck we find two different regions -- from one the rays reach the horizon and not infinity and from the other one they reach infinity, but not the horizon. The results are analyzed by analytical methods and illustrated by figures constructed numerically., Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures

The light propagation in plasma medium around stationary gravitating objects is studied in the geometrical optics limit. Static metrics with quadrupole moments are considered, however, the main attention is paid to the stationary Hartle-Thorne metric and Kerr metric. Their different effects on the light deflection are compared. The deflection angle is given in a general analytic form, the detailed calculations are performed in the weak field limits and illustrated graphically. The trajectories of the light rays are constructed and compared, emphasizing the role of the quadrupole moment., Comment: accepted in Phys Rev D

By considering a misaligned (asymptotically uniform) magnetic field in the background of a rotating black hole, we uncover a possibility for a highly non-trivial motion of Carrollian particles on the black hole horizon that is characterized by a time-dependent velocity field and reminds us (because of its latitudinal oscillations) of a 'monarch butterfly migration'., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

In this paper, we review and analyze four specific general-relativistic problems in which gravitomagnetism plays an important role: the dragging of magnetic fields around rotating black holes, dragging inside a collapsing slowly rotating spherical shell of dust, compared with the dragging by rotating gravitational waves. We demonstrate how the quantum detection of inertial frame dragging can be accomplished by using the Unruh-DeWitt detectors. Finally, we shall briefly show how ``instantaneous Machian gauges'' can be useful in the cosmological perturbation theory., Comment: Based on a plenary talk presented at the Sixteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting (MG16, July 2021)

The properties of light rays around compact objects surrounded by a plasma are affected by both strong gravitational fields described by a general-relativistic spacetime and by a dispersive and refractive medium, characterized by the density distribution of the plasma. We study these effects employing the relativistic Hamiltonian formalism under the assumption of stationarity and axisymmetry. The necessary and sufficient conditions on the metric and on the plasma frequency are formulated, such that the rays can be analytically determined from a fully separated Hamilton-Jacobi equation. We demonstrate how these results allow to analytically calculate the photon region and the shadow, if they exist. Several specific examples are discussed in detail: the "hairy" Kerr black holes, the Hartle-Thorne spacetime metrics, the Melvin universe, and the Teo rotating traversable wormhole. In all of these cases a plasma medium is present as well., Comment: to appear in Journal of Mathematical Physics

We investigate the sensitivity of an Unruh-DeWitt detector to the global features of a deficit angle that are otherwise classically inaccessible. Specifically, we consider a detector placed inside an infinite thin hollow cylinder whose spacetime is everywhere flat but outside of which the spacetime has a deficit angle and study its response to a scalar field to which it couples. We find that the response of the detector is sensitive to the deficit angle, despite the fact that it does not interact with the cylinder., Comment: 5+1 pages, 4 figures

A relativistic theory of gravity like general relativity produces phenomena differing fundamentally from Newton's theory. An example, analogous to electromagnetic induction, is gravitomagnetism, or the dragging of inertial frames by mass-energy currents. These effects have recently been confirmed by classical observations. Here we show, for the first time, that they can be observed by a quantum detector. We study the response function of Unruh De-Witt detectors placed in a slowly rotating shell. We show that the response function picks up the presence of rotation even though the spacetime inside the shell is flat and the detector is locally inertial. The detector can distinguish between the static situation when the shell is non-rotating and the stationary case when the shell rotates and the dragging of inertial frames, i.e. gravitomagnetic effects, arise. Moreover, it can do so when the detector is switched on for a finite time interval within which a light signal cannot travel to the shell and back to convey the presence of rotation., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Edited references. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2003.09719

We study the response function of Unruh-deWitt detectors placed in a flat spacetime inside a thin matter shell. We show that the response function distinguishes between the local and global (Minkowski) inertial frames and picks up the presence of the shell even when the detector is switched on for a finite time interval within which a light signal cannot travel to the shell and back as required by a classical measurement. We also analyze how the response of the detector depends on its location within the shell., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

We construct the disk sources matched to the exact vacuum Kerr and to the two classes of Tomimatsu-Sato spacetimes. We analyze two models of the matter forming these disks. At each radius we consider either a rotating massive ring with pressure or two counter-rotating streams of particles in circular geodesic motion. Dragging effects present in such spacetimes lead either to rotation of rings or asymmetry of both streams. We demonstrate that the model of rotating rings is general enough to describe all axisymmetric stationary disk sources with vanishing radial pressure which satisfy weak energy condition, and that centrifugal effects present in the disk sources of spacetimes with large angular momentum prevent the construction of highly compact sources made of counter-rotating streams of geodesic particles. We illustrate the radial distribution of the mass inside the disks and the angular velocities of both geodesic streams.

The scalar-tensor theories have become popular recently in particular in connection with attempts to explain present accelerated expansion of the universe, but they have been considered as a natural extension of general relativity long time ago. The Horndeski scalar-tensor theory involving four invariantly defined Lagrangians is a natural choice since it implies field equations involving at most second derivatives. Following the formalisms of defining covariant global quantities and conservation laws for perturbations of spacetimes in standard general relativity we extend these methods to the general Horndeski theory and find the covariant conserved currents for all four Lagrangians. The current is also constructed in the case of linear perturbations involving both metric and scalar field. As a specific illustration we derive a superpotential which leads to the covariantly conserved current in the Branse-Dicke theory., Comment: 33 pages

We elucidate the dynamics of a thin spherical material shell with a tangential pressure, using a new approach. This is both simpler than the traditional method of extrinsic curvature junction conditions (which we also employ), and suggests an expression for a `gravitational potential energy' of the shell. Such a shell, if slowly spinning, can rotationally drag the inertial frames within it through a finite angle as it collapses and rebounds from a minimum radius. Rebounding `spherical' and cylindrical pulses of rotating gravitational waves were studied previously. Here we calculate their angular momentum and show that their rotational frame dragging is in agreement with that of the rotating spherical shell and a rotating cylindrical dust shell. This shows that Machian effects occur equally for material and analogous `immaterial' sources., Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures

In 2009, Banados, Silk and West (BSW) pointed out the possibility of having an unbounded limit of centre-of-mass collision energy for test particles in the field of an extremal Kerr black hole, if one of them has fine-tuned parameters and the collision point is approaching the horizon. The possibility of this "BSW effect" attracted much attention: it was generalised to arbitrary ("dirty") rotating black holes and an analogy was found for collisions of charged particles in the field of non-rotating charged black holes. Our work considers the unification of these two mechanisms, which have so far been studied only separately. Exploring the enlarged parameter space, we find kinematic restrictions that may prevent the fine-tuned particles from reaching the limiting collision point. These restrictions are first presented in a general form, which can be used with an arbitrary black-hole model, and then visualised for the Kerr-Newman solution by plotting the "admissible region" in the parameter space of critical particles, reproducing some known results and obtaining a number of new ones. For example, we find that (marginally) bounded critical particles with enormous values of angular momentum can, curiously enough, approach the degenerate horizon, if the charge of the black hole is very small. Such "mega-BSW" behaviour is excluded in the case of a vacuum black hole, or a black hole with large charge. It may be interesting in connection with the small "Wald charge" induced on rotating black holes in external magnetic fields., Comment: Some minor inaccuracies corrected, adjustments made to fit the journal version

Lema\^{i}tre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) solutions have traditionally been confined to systems with no pressure in which the gravity is due to massive dust, but the solutions are little changed in form if, as in cosmology, the pressure is uniform in space at each comoving time. This allows the equations of cosmology to be deduced in a manner that more closely resembles classical mechanics. It also gives some inhomogeneous solutions with growing condensations and black holes. We give criteria by which the sizes of different closed models of the universe can be compared and discuss conditions for self-closure of inhomogeneous cosmologies with a $\Lambda$-term., Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure

The question of the uniqueness of energy-momentum tensors in the linearized general relativity and in the linear massive gravity is analyzed without using variational techniques. We start from a natural ansatz for the form of the tensor (for example, that it is a linear combination of the terms quadratic in the first derivatives), and require it to be conserved as a consequence of field equations. In the case of the linear gravity in a general gauge we find a four-parametric system of conserved second-rank tensors which contains a unique symmetric tensor. This turns out to be the linearized Landau-Lifshitz pseudotensor employed often in full general relativity. We elucidate the relation of the four-parametric system to the expression proposed recently by Butcher et al. "on physical grounds" in harmonic gauge, and we show that the results coincide in the case of high-frequency waves in vacuum after a suitable averaging. In the massive gravity we show how one can arrive at the expression which coincides with the "generalized linear symmetric Landau-Lifshitz" tensor. However, there exists another uniquely given simpler symmetric tensor which can be obtained by adding the divergence of a suitable superpotential to the canonical energy-momentum tensor following from the Fierz-Pauli action. In contrast to the symmetric tensor derived by the Belinfante procedure which involves the second derivatives of the field variables, this expression contains only the field and its first derivatives. It is simpler than the generalized Landau-Lifshitz tensor but both yield the same total quantities since they differ by the divergence of a superpotential. We also discuss the role of the gauge conditions in the proofs of the uniqueness. In the Appendix, the use of the symbolic tensor manipulation software Cadabra is briefly described., Comment: 13 pages

We analyze spherical and odd-parity linear perturbations of hairy black holes with a minimally coupled scalar field., Comment: 5 pages. To appear in Marcel Grossman 14 proceedings

For extremal black holes, one can construct simpler, limiting spacetimes that describe the geometry near degenerate horizons. Since these spacetimes are known to have enhanced symmetry, the limiting objects coincide for different solutions. We show that this occurs for strongly magnetised Kerr-Newman solution, and how this is related to physical Meissner effect of expulsion of magnetic fields from extremal black holes., Comment: To appear in Marcel Grossman 14 proceedings

After a brief summary of the basic properties of stationary spacetimes representing rotating, charged black holes in strong axisymmetric magnetic fields, we concentrate on extremal cases, for which the horizon surface gravity vanishes. We investigate their properties by constructing simpler spacetimes that exhibit their geometries near degenerate horizons. Starting from the symmetry arguments we find that the near-horizon geometries of extremal magnetised Kerr-Newman black holes can be characterised by just one dimensionless parameter: "effective Kerr-Newman mixing angle". Employing the near-horizon geometries we demonstrate the Meissner effect of magnetic field expulsion from extremal black holes., Comment: Added one reference and some details to fit the journal version

We briefly summarise the basic properties of spacetimes representing rotating, charged black holes in strong axisymmetric magnetic fields. We concentrate on extremal cases, for which the horizon surface gravity vanishes. We investigate their properties by finding simpler spacetimes that exhibit their geometries near degenerate horizons. Employing the simpler geometries obtained by near-horizon limiting description we analyse the Meissner effect of magnetic field expulsion from extremal black holes., Comment: Published in WDS'14 Proceedings of Contributed Papers - Physics (eds. J. \v{S}afr\'ankov\'a and J. Pavl\r{u}), 48-55, MATFYZPRESS, Prague, 2014. ISBN 978-80-7378-276-4

We show that, independently of the scalar field potential and of specific asymptotic properties of the spacetime (asymptotically flat, de Sitter or anti-de Sitter), any static, spherically symmetric or planar, black hole or soliton solution of the Einstein theory minimally coupled to a real scalar field with a general potential is mode stable under linear odd-parity perturbations. To this end, we generalize the Regge-Wheeler equation for a generic self-interacting scalar field, and show that the potential of the relevant Schr\"odinger operator can be mapped, by the so-called S-deformation, to a semi-positively defined potential. With these results at hand we study the existence of slowly rotating configurations. The frame dragging effect is compared with the Kerr black hole., Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure

We report on the oral contributions and give a list of posters presented in the session A1 "Exact solutions and their interpretation" at the 20th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR 20) in Warsaw, July 7-13, 2013., Comment: 15 pages

Some new results on the boost-rotation symmetric spacetimes representing pairs of rotating charged objects accelerated in opposite directions are summarized. A particular attention is paid to (a) the Newtonian limit analyzed using the Ehlers frame theory and (b) the special-relativistic limit of the C-metric. Starting from the new, simpler form of the rotating charged C-metric we also show how to remove nodal singularities and obtain a rotating charged black hole freely falling in an external electromagnetic field., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; Contribution to the proceedings of "Relativity and Gravitation - 100 years after Einstein in Prague" (Prague, June 25-29, 2012)

During the conference on the methods of differential geometry in physics in Warsaw in June 1976, Professor Wheeler gave an interview for the Czechoslovak Journal of Physics A. After Professor Wheeler authorized the English version in January 1977, the Czech translation was published in \v{C}eskoslovensk\'y \v{c}asopis pro fyziku A (1978) and soon afterwards the Polish translation appeared in Postepy fizyky. After John Wheeler's recent death it occurred to me that it would now be appropriate to publish the original interview from 1976 so that it would not be lost to English readers; and so, despite being more than 30 years old, the interview appeared in the special issue on quantum gravity of "General Relativity and Gravitation" dedicated to the memory of J. A. Wheeler. John Wheeler would now surely add more about black holes in nuclei of galaxies, not mentioning just Cygnus X-1, when discussing cosmology he would undoubtedly address the problem of dark energy etc. However, in the conversation about Einstein and Bohr, about the need for choosing appropriate names, or about the relation of science and philosophy and art, he would probably give answers as he did more than 30 years ago.

The discontinuities of electromagnetic test fields generated by general layers of electric and magnetic monopoles and dipoles are investigated in general curved spacetimes. The equivalence of electric currents and magnetic dipoles is discussed. The results are used to describe exact "Schwarzschild disk" solutions endowed with such sources. The resulting distributions of charge and dipole densities on the disks are corroborated using the membrane paradigm., Comment: to be published in Phys. Rev. D, 10 pages, 4 figures; v2: spelling of authors name corrected

Starting from the gravitational potential of a Newtonian spheroidal shell we discuss electrically charged rotating prolate spheroidal shells in the Maxwell theory. In particular we consider two confocal charged shells which rotate oppositely in such a way that there is no magnetic field outside the outer shell. In the Einstein theory we solve the Ernst equations in the region where the long prolate spheroids are almost cylindrical; in equatorial regions the exact Lewis "rotating cylindrical" solution is so derived by a limiting procedure from a spatially bound system. In the second part we analyze two cylindrical shells rotating in opposite directions in such a way that the static Levi-Civita metric is produced outside and no angular momentum flux escapes to infinity. The rotation of the local inertial frames in flat space inside the inner cylinder is thus exhibited without any approximation or interpretational difficulties within this model. A test particle within the inner cylinder kept at rest with respect to axes that do not rotate as seen from infinity experiences a centrifugal force. Although the spacetime there is Minkowskian out to the inner cylinder nevertheless that space has been induced to rotate, so relative to the local inertial frame the particle is traversing a circular orbit., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

By a spherical gravitating condenser we mean two concentric charged shells made of perfect fluids restricted by the condition that the electric field is nonvanishing only between the shells. Flat space is assumed inside the inner shell. By using Israel's formalism we first analyze the general system of N shells and then concentrate on the two-shell condensers. Energy conditions are taken into account; physically interesting cases are summarized in two tables, but also more exotic situations in which, for example, the inner shell may occur below the inner horizon of the corresponding Reissner-Nordstr\"om geometry or the spacetime is curved only inside the condenser are considered. Classical limits are mentioned., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure; v2: The 3-d strong energy condition was changed to the 2-d version which modified the last line in Table 1

We extend the work in our earlier article [4] to show that time-periodic, asymptotically-flat solutions of the Einstein equations analytic at scri, whose source is one of a range of scalar-field models, are necessarily stationary. We also show that, for some of these scalar-field sources, in stationary, asymptotically-flat solutions analytic at scri, the scalar field necessarily inherits the symmetry. To prove these results we investigate miscellaneous properties of massless and conformal scalar fields coupled to gravity, in particular Bondi mass and its loss., Comment: 29 pages, published in Class. Quant. Grav. Replaced. Typos corrected, version which appeared in Class. Quant.Grav

The Ernst method of removing nodal singularities from the charged C-metric representing uniformly accelerated black holes with mass $m$, charge $q$ and acceleration $A$ by "adding" an electric field $E$ is generalized. Utilizing the new form of the C-metric found recently, Ernst's simple "equilibrium" condition $mA=qE$ valid for small accelerations is generalized for arbitrary $A$. The nodal singularity is removed also in the case of accelerating and rotating charged black holes, and the corresponding equilibrium condition is determined., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure

By an argument similar to that of Gibbons and Stewart, but in a different coordinate system and less restrictive gauge, we show that any weakly-asymptotically-simple, analytic vacuum or electrovacuum solutions of the Einstein equations which are periodic in time are necessarily stationary., Comment: 25 pages, 2 figures, published in Class. Quant. Grav.

The Hamiltonian for a system of relativistic bodies interacting by their gravitational field is found in the post-Minkowskian approximation, including all terms linear in the gravitational constant. It is given in a surprisingly simple closed form as a function of canonical variables describing the bodies only. The field is eliminated by solving inhomogeneous wave equations, applying transverse-traceless projections, and using the Routh functional. By including all special relativistic effects our Hamiltonian extends the results described in classical textbooks of theoretical physics. As an application, the scattering of relativistic objects is considered., Comment: 3 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the 12th Marcel Grossmann Meeting, Paris, July 2009

Boost-rotation symmetric spacetimes are exceptional as they are the only exact asymptotically flat solutions to the Einstein equations describing spatially bounded sources ("point-like" particles, black holes) undergoing non-trivial motion ("uniform acceleration") with radiation. We construct the Newtonian limit of these spacetimes: it yields fields of uniformly accelerated sources in classical mechanics. We also study the special-relativistic limit of the charged rotating C-metric and so find accelerating electromagnetic magic field., Comment: to appear in proceedings of MGM12 Paris, France

Various aspects of the C-metric representing two rotating charged black holes accelerated in opposite directions are summarized and its limits are considered. A particular attention is paid to the special-relativistic limit in which the electromagnetic field becomes the "magic field" of two oppositely accelerated rotating charged relativistic discs. When the acceleration vanishes the usual electromagnetic magic field of the Kerr-Newman black hole with gravitational constant set to zero arises. Properties of the accelerated discs and the fields produced are studied and illustrated graphically. The charges at the rim of the accelerated discs move along spiral trajectories with the speed of light. If the magic field has some deeper connection with the field of the Dirac electron, as is sometimes conjectured because of the same gyromagnetic ratio, the "accelerating magic field" represents the electromagnetic field of a uniformly accelerated spinning electron. It generalizes the classical Born's solution for two uniformly accelerated monopole charges., Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures

Solutions of vacuum Einstein's field equations describing uniformly accelerated particles or black holes belong to the class of boost-rotation symmetric spacetimes. They are the only explicit solutions known which represent moving finite objects. Their Newtonian limit is analyzed using the Ehlers frame theory. Generic spacetimes with axial and boost symmetries are first studied from the Newtonian perspective. The results are then illustrated by specific examples such as C-metric, Bonnor-Swaminarayan solutions, self-accelerating "dipole particles", and generalized boost-rotation symmetric solutions describing freely falling particles in an external field. In contrast to some previous discussions, our results are physically plausible in the sense that the Newtonian limit corresponds to the fields of classical point masses accelerated uniformly in classical mechanics. This corroborates the physical significance of the boost-rotation symmetric spacetimes.

We calculate the rotation of the inertial frames within an almost flat cylindrical region surrounded by a pulse of non-axially-symmetric gravitational waves that rotate about the axis of our cylindrical polar coordinates. Our spacetime has only one Killing vector. It is along the z-axis and hypersurface orthogonal. We solve the Einstein equations to first order in the wave amplitude and superpose such linearized solutions to form a wave pulse. We then solve the relevant Einstein equation to second order in the amplitude to find the rotation of inertial frames produced by the pulse. The rotation is without time delay. The influence of gravitational wave angular momentum on the inertial frame demonstrates that Mach's principle can not be expressed in terms of the influence of the stress-energy-momentum tensor alone but must involve also influences of gravitational wave energy and angular momentum., Comment: Scheduled to appear in Class. and Quantum Grav. July 2008, "inertial" added in title

Linear and rotational dragging effects of gravitational waves on local inertial frames are studied in purely vacuum spacetimes. First the linear dragging caused by a simple cylindrical pulse is investigated. Surprisingly strong transversal effects of the pulse are exhibited. The angular momentum in cylindrically symmetric spacetimes is then defined and confronted with some results in literature. In the main part, the general procedure is developed for studying weak gravitational waves with translational but not axial symmetry which can carry angular momentum. After a suitable averaging the rotation of local inertial frames due to such rotating waves can be calculated explicitly and illustrated graphically. This is done in detail in the accompanying paper. Finally, the rotational dragging is given for strong cylindrical waves interacting with a rotating cosmic string with a small angular momentum., Comment: Scheduled to appear in Class. Quantum Grav. July 2008

The Hamiltonian for a system of relativistic bodies interacting by their gravitational field is found in the post-Minkowskian approximation, including all terms linear in the gravitational constant. It is given in a surprisingly simple closed form as a function of canonical variables describing the bodies only. The field is eliminated by solving inhomogeneous wave equations, applying transverse-traceless projections, and using the Routh functional. By including all special relativistic effects our Hamiltonian extends the results described in classical textbooks of theoretical physics. As an application, the scattering of relativistic objects is considered., Comment: 4 pages

Linear perturbations of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes with any curvature and cosmological constant are studied in a general gauge without decomposition into harmonics. Desirable gauges are selected as those which embody best Mach's principle: in these gauges local inertial frames can be determined instantaneously via the perturbed Einstein field equations from the distributions of energy and momentum in the universe. The inertial frames are identified by their `accelerations and rotations' with respect to the cosmological frames associated with the `Machian gauges'. In closed spherical universes, integral gauge conditions are imposed to eliminate motions generated by the conformal Killing vectors. The meaning of Traschen's integral constraint vectors is thus elucidated. For all three types of FRW universes the Machian gauges admit much less residual freedom than the synchronous or generalized harmonic gauge. Mach's principle is best exhibited in the Machian gauges in closed spherical universes. Independent of any Machian motivation the general perturbation equations and discussion of gauges are useful for cosmological perturbation theory., Comment: 68 pages, 2 figures

We investigate properties of solutions of the scalar wave equation and Maxwell's equations on Minkowski space with helical symmetry. Existence of local and global solutions with this symmetry is demonstrated with and without sources. The asymptotic properties of the solutions are analyzed. We show that the Newman--Penrose retarded and advanced scalars exhibit specific symmetries and generalized peeling properties., Comment: 11 pages

We give physical explanations of explicit invariant expressions for the energy and angular momentum densities of gravitational fields in stationary space-times. These expressions involve non-locally defined conformal factors. In certain coordinates these become locally defined in terms of the metric. These results are derived via expressions for total gravitational potential energy from the difference between the total energy and the mechanical energy. The latter involves kinetic energy seen in the frame of static observers. When in the axially symmetric case we consider zero angular momentum observers (who move orthogonally to surfaces of constant time), we find that the angular momentum they attribute to the gravitational field is solely due to their motion., Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D

Static observers remain on Killing-vector world lines and measure the rest-mass+kinetic energies of particles moving past them, and the flux of that mechanical energy through space and time. The total mechanical energy is the total flux through a spacelike cut at one time. The difference between the total mass-energy and the total mechanical energy is the total gravitational energy, which we prove to be negative for certain classes of systems. For spherical systems, Misner, Thorne and Wheeler define the total gravitational energy this way. To obtain the gravitational energy density analogous to that of electromagnetism we first use Einstein's equations with integrations by parts to remove second order derivatives. Next we apply a conformal transformation to reexpress the scalar 3-curvature of the 3-space. The resulting density is non-local. We repeat the argument for mechanical energies as measured by stationary observers moving orthogonally to constant time slices like the "zero angular momentum" observers of Bardeen who exist even within ergospheres., Comment: Accepted for publication in Class. Quantum Grav

In Einstein's general relativity, with its nonlinear field equations, the discoveries and analyzes of various specific explicit solutions made a great impact on understanding many of the unforeseen features of the theory. Some solutions found fundamental applications in astrophysics, cosmology and, more recently, in the developments inspired by string theory. In this short article we survey the invariant characterization and classification of the solutions and describe the properties and role of the most relevant classes: Minkowski, (anti-)de Sitter spacetimes, spherical Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordstroem metrics, stationary axisymmetric solutions, radiative metrics describing plane and cylindrical waves, radiative fields of uniformly accelerated sources and Robinson-Trautman solutions. Metrics representing regions of spacetimes filled with matter are also discussed and cosmological models are very briefly mentioned. Some parts of the text are based on a detailed survey which appeared in gr-qc/0004016 (see Ref. 2)., Comment: 8 pages, published in Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics, eds. J.-P. Francoise, G. L. Naber and Tsou S. T., Oxford: Elsevier, 2006 (ISBN 978-0-1251-2666-3), volume 2, page 165-173. (The number of references had to be limited, some additional references are indicated inside the text only.)

The fields of rapidly moving sources are studied within nonlinear electrodynamics by boosting the fields of sources at rest. As a consequence of the ultrarelativistic limit the delta-like electromagnetic shock waves are found. The character of the field within the shock depends on the theory of nonlinear electrodynamics considered. In particular, we obtain the field of an ultrarelativistic charge in the Born-Infeld theory., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures

This paper deals thoroughly with the scalar and electromagnetic fields of uniformly accelerated charges in de Sitter spacetime. It gives details and makes various extensions of our Physical Review Letter from 2002. The basic properties of the classical Born solutions representing two uniformly accelerated charges in flat spacetime are first summarized. The worldlines of uniformly accelerated particles in de Sitter universe are defined and described in a number of coordinate frames, some of them being of cosmological significance, the other are tied naturally to the particles. The scalar and electromagnetic fields due to the accelerated charges are constructed by using conformal relations between Minkowski and de Sitter space. The properties of the generalized `cosmological' Born solutions are analyzed and elucidated in various coordinate systems. In particular, a limiting procedure is demonstrated which brings the cosmological Born fields in de Sitter space back to the classical Born solutions in Minkowski space. In an extensive Appendix, which can be used independently of the main text, nine families of coordinate systems in de Sitter spacetime are described analytically and illustrated graphically in a number of conformal diagrams., Comment: 37 pages, 23 figures, reformatted version of the paper published in JMP; low-resolution figures due to arXiv size restrictions; for the version with high-resolution figures see http://utf.mff.cuni.cz/~krtous/papers/

For every mapping of a perturbed spacetime onto a background and with any vector field $\xi$ we construct a conserved covariant vector density $I(\xi)$, which is the divergence of a covariant antisymmetric tensor density, a "superpotential". $ I(\xi)$ is linear in the energy-momentum tensor perturbations of matter, which may be large; $I(\xi)$ does not contain the second order derivatives of the perturbed metric. The superpotential is identically zero when perturbations are absent. By integrating conserved vectors over a part $\Si$ of a hypersurface $S$ of the background, which spans a two-surface $\di\Si$, we obtain integral relations between, on the one hand, initial data of the perturbed metric components and the energy-momentum perturbations on $\Si$ and, on the other hand, the boundary values on $\di\Si$. We show that there are as many such integral relations as there are different mappings, $\xi$'s, $\Si$'s and $\di\Si$'s. For given boundary values on $\di\Si$, the integral relations may be interpreted as integral constraints (e.g., those of Traschen) on local initial data including the energy-momentum perturbations. Conservation laws expressed in terms of Killing fields $\Bar\xi$ of the background become "physical" conservation laws. In cosmology, to each mapping of the time axis of a Robertson-Walker space on a de Sitter space with the same spatial topology there correspond ten conservation laws. The conformal mapping leads to a straightforward generalization of conservation laws in flat spacetimes. Other mappings are also considered. ..., Comment: This paper, published 7 years ago, was found useful by some researchers but originally was not put on the gr-qc website. Now it has been retyped with very minor changes: few wordings have been modified and several misprints occurring in the printed version corrected

Harmonic coordinate conditions in stationary asymptotically flat spacetimes with matter sources have more than one solution. The solutions depend on the degree of smoothness of the metric and its first derivatives, which we wish to impose across the material boundary, and on the conditions at infinity and at a suitable point inside the matter. This is illustrated in detail by simple fully solvable examples of static spherically symmetric spacetimes in global harmonic coordinates. Examples of stationary electrovacuum spacetimes described simply in harmonic coordinates are also given. They can represent the exterior fields of material discs. The use of an appropriate background metric considerably simplifies the calculations., Comment: 14 pages, no figures

Explicit expressions are found for the axisymmetric metric perturbations of the closed, flat and open FRW universes caused by toroidal motions of the cosmic fluid. The perturbations are decomposed in vector spherical harmonics on 2-spheres, but the radial dependence is left general. Solutions for general odd-parity $l$-pole perturbations are given for either angular velocities or angular momenta prescribed. In particular, in case of closed universes the solutions require a special treatment of the Legendre equation., Comment: 13 pages

If perturbations beyond the horizon have the velocities prescribed everywhere then the dragging of inertial frames near the origin is suppressed by an exponential factor. However if perturbations are prescribed in terms of their angular momenta there is no such suppression. We resolve this paradox and in doing so give new explicit results on the dragging of inertial frames in closed, flat and open universe with and without a cosmological constant., Comment: 12 pages

The model of cylindrical gravitational waves is employed to work out and check a recent proposal in Ref. [11] how a diffeomorphism-invariant Hamiltonian dynamics is to be constructed. The starting point is the action by Ashtekar and Pierri because it contains the boundary term that makes it differentiable for non-trivial variations at infinity. With the help of parametrization at infinity, the notion of gauge transformation is clearly separated from that of asymptotic symmetry. The symplectic geometry of asymptotic symmetries and asymptotic time is described and the role of the asymptotic structures in defining a zero-motion frame for the Hamiltonian dynamics of Dirac observables is explained. Complete sets of Dirac observables associated with the asymptotic fields are found and the action of the asymptotic symmetries on them is calculated. The construction of the corresponding quantum theory is sketched: the Fock space, operators of asymptotic fields, the Hamiltonian and the scattering matrix are determined., Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure

The Hamiltonian dynamics of two-component spherically symmetric null dust is studied with regard to the quantum theory of gravitational collapse. The components--the ingoing and outgoing dusts--are assumed to interact only through gravitation. Different kinds of singularities, naked or "clothed", that can form during collapse processes are described. The general canonical formulation of the one-component null-dust dynamics by Bicak and Kuchar is restricted to the spherically symmetric case and used to construct an action for the two components. The transformation from a metric variable to the quasilocal mass is shown to simplify the mathematics. The action is reduced by a choice of gauge and the corresponding true Hamiltonian is written down. Asymptotic coordinates and energy densities of dust shells are shown to form a complete set of Dirac observables. The action of the asymptotic time translation on the observables is defined but it has been calculated explicitly only in the case of one-component dust (Vaidya metric)., Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. D

We present a characterization of general gravitational and electromagnetic fields near de Sitter-like conformal infinity which supplements the standard peeling behavior. This is based on an explicit evaluation of the dependence of the radiative component of the fields on the null direction from which infinity is approached. It is shown that the directional pattern of radiation has a universal character that is determined by the algebraic (Petrov) type of the spacetime. Specifically, the radiation field vanishes along directions opposite to principal null directions., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted to Phys. Rev. Lett

The scalar and electromagnetic fields of charges uniformly accelerated in de Sitter spacetime are constructed. They represent the generalization of the Born solutions describing fields of two particles with hyperbolic motion in flat spacetime. In the limit Lambda -> 0, the Born solutions are retrieved. Since in the de Sitter universe the infinities I^+- are spacelike, the radiative properties of the fields depend on the way in which a given point of I^+- is approached. The fields must involve both retarded and advanced effects: Purely retarded fields do not satisfy the constraints at the past infinity I^-., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, RevTeX; Slightly expanded version of the paper published in Physical Review Letters. (The published version can be generated from the same TeX source.); problem with the postscript fixed