Maximum Principles for Null Hypersurfaces and Null Splitting Theorems

1999/09/27 by Gregory J. Galloway · 99 citations
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Differential Geometry Research #Geometric Analysis and Curvature Flows #Minkowski space #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Null (SQL) #Null vector #Simple (philosophy) #Spacetime #World line #gr-qc #math.DG #msc:53C50 #msc:83C75

paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s000230050006

published in Annales Henri Poincaré 1(3), 543-567 (Birkhäuser) · 26 pages, latex2e

arxiv created 1999/09/27 · openalex publication_date 2000/07/01 · arxiv updated 2015/06/26 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

A maximum principle for C⁰ null hypersurfaces is obtained and used to derive a splitting theorem for spacetimes which contain null lines. As a consequence of this null splitting theorem, it is proved that an asymptotically simple vacuum (Ricci flat) spacetime which contains a null line is isometric to Minkowski space.

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