Taming Dirac strings and timelike loops in vacuum gravity
Abstract
The problem of singularities associated with Dirac strings and closed timelike curves in classical solutions of pure gravity is analyzed here. A method to eliminate these is introduced and established first for the Taub-NUT geometry, which is superceded by a smooth solution of first order field equations. The resulting spacetime is defined to be a unique extension of the Taub universe to a degenerate metric phase. As an additional feature, this framework naturally provides a geometric interpretation of the magnetic charge in the absence of matter. Finally, exploiting the two phases of the metric determinant, we find a (smooth and unique) continuation of the Misner geometry as well, ridding it of closed timelike worldlines which exist in its otherwise Einsteinian manifestation.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review D
- Pub Date:
- June 2019
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.99.124038
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1902.07748
- Bibcode:
- 2019PhRvD..99l4038G
- Keywords:
-
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- High Energy Physics - Theory
- E-Print:
- 17 pages