Closed timelike curves and geodesics of Godel-type metrics

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Gleiser R., Gurses M., Karasu A., Sarioglu O.

CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM GRAVITY, vol.23, no.7, pp.2653-2663, 2006 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 23 Issue: 7
  • Publication Date: 2006
  • Doi Number: 10.1088/0264-9381/23/7/025
  • Journal Name: CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM GRAVITY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.2653-2663
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

it is shown explicitly that when the characteristic vector field that defines a Godel-type metric is also a Killing vector, there always exist closed timelike or null curves in spacetimes described by such a metric. For these geometries, the geodesic curves are also shown to be characterized by a lower-dimensional Lorentz force equation for a charged point particle in the relevant Riemannian background. Moreover, two explicit examples are given for which timelike and null geodesics can never be closed.