https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11433-x
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
A semi-tetrad decomposition of the Kerr spacetime
Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, 4000, Durban, South Africa
Received:
22
April
2022
Accepted:
25
March
2023
Published online:
24
April
2023
In this paper we perform a semi-tetrad decomposition of the Kerr spacetime. We apply the 1+1+2 covariant method to the Kerr spacetime in order to describe its geometry outside the horizon. Comparisons are drawn between an observer belonging to the Killing frame and a ZAMO (zero angular momentum observer), a locally non-rotating observer in a zero angular momentum frame, and their resulting geometrical quantities that generate the evolution and propagation equations. This enhances the study of the Kerr geometry as the results are valid in the ergoregion from where energy can be extracted. Using this formalism allows us to present the kinematic and dynamic quantities in a transparent geometrical manner not present in alternate approaches. We find significant relationships between the properties of shear, vorticity and acceleration. Additionally we observe that in the Killing frame, the gravitational wave is a direct consequence of vorticity and in the ZAMO frame, the gravitational wave is a direct consequence of shear. To our knowledge, using the 1+1+2 formalism to investigate the Kerr spacetime is a novel approach, and this provides new insights into the spacetime geometry in an easier manner than alternate approaches. Furthermore we make corrections to earlier equations in the 1+1+2 formalism applied to the Kerr spacetime.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-11433-x.
© The Author(s) 2023
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Funded by SCOAP3. SCOAP3 supports the goals of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development.
