Thesis (M.Sc.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Physics and Astronomy. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-129). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: LINK NOT YET AVAILABLE.

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Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-04-29Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:14:00Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 savi_ll_me_ift.pdf: 313272 bytes, checksum: 728354457c79218177465f833ef56d86 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O espaço de De Sitter foi estudado pela primeira vez como a solução de vácuo da equação de Einstein com constante cosmológica. Tal visão dinâmica acerca deste espaço predomina entre os físicos ainda nos dias atuais. No entanto, do ponto de vista geométrico, o espaço de de Sitter, assim como Minkowski, é um espaço quociente. Isto significa que o espço de de Sitter pode ser construído independentemente de qualquer teoria gravitacional, sendo portanto mais fundamental do que a equação de Einstein. Consequentemente, torna-se possível construir uma relatividade especial baseada no grupo de de Sitter, que e o grupo cinemático do espaço de de Sitter. Tal teoria vem sendo proposta como generalização da relatividade restrita usual com o nome de relatividade de de Sitter. Nesta, o termo cosmológico é interpretado como uma entidade cinemática, constituindo-se num segundo parâmetro invariante, além da velocidade da luz. Pode-se entender tal modi cação da relatividade einsteniana como uma solução cinemática para o problema da energia escura. No presente texto, pretendemos delinear as propriedades cinemáticas fundamentais de tal teoria em paralelo com as da relatividade restrita usual, baseada no grupo de Poincar / The de Sitter space was rst studied as the vaccum solution of Einstein's eld equation with cosmological constant. This dynamical view of that space is still prevalent among physicists even today. Nevertheless, from the point of view of geometry, the de Sitter space, like Minkowski, is a quotient space. That means that de Sitter space may be built independently of any gravitational theory, being more fundamental than Einstein's equation. Consequently, it turns out possible to construct a special relativity based on the de Sitter group. Such theory has been proposed as a generalization of ordinary special relativity, being called de Sitter relativity. In this theory, the cosmological term is interpreted as a kinematical entity, constituting a second invariant parameter, in addition to the speed of light. Such modi cation of einstenian relativity may be understood as a kinematical solution to the \dark energy problem. In the present text, we intend to outline the fundamental kinematical properties of such a de Sitter-invariant special relativity, in parallel to those of the ordinary Poincar e-invariant special relativity

We develop new variational techniques, acting on classes of Lagrangians with the same functional dependence but arbitrary functional form, for the derivation of general, strongly conserved quantities, supplementing the usual procedure for deriving weak conservation laws via Noether's theorem. Using these new techniques we generate and generalize virtually all energy-momentum complexes currently known. In the process we discover and understand the reason for the difficulties associated with energy-momentum complexes in general relativity. We study a Palatini variation of a novel Lagrangian due to Nissani. We find that Nissani's principal claim, that his Lagrangian specifies Riemannian geometry in the presence of a generalized matter tensor, is not in fact justifiable, and prove that his Lagrangian is not unique. We speculate on the possibility of deriving a general-relativistic analog of Maxwell's current equation, a matter current equation, yielding an entirely new approach to the idea of energy-momentum in general relativity. We develop the SL(2,C) x U(1) spinor formalism naturally combining the gravitational and electromagnetic potentials in a single object--the spinor connection. Variably charged matter is rigourously introduced, through the use of spin densities, in the unified potential theories we develop. We generate both the Einstein-Maxwell equations and new equations. The latter generalize both the Maxwell equation and the Einstein equation which includes a new "gravitational stress-energy tensor". This new tensor exactly mimicks the electromagnetic stress-energy tensor with Riemann tensor contractions replacing Maxwell tensor contractions. We briefly consider the introduction of matter. A Lagrangian generalizing the two spinor Dirac equations has no gravitational currents and the electromagnetic currents must be on the light cone. A Lagrangian generalizing the Pauli equations has both gravitational and electromagnetic currents. The equations of both Lagrangians demonstrate beautifully how the divergence of the total stress-energy tensor vanishes in this formalism. In the theory of the generalized Einstein-Maxwell and Pauli equations we succeed in deriving an equation describing a generalized matter-charge current density. / Graduate

We undertake a study of the classical regime in which Planck's constant and Newton's gravitational constant are negligible, but not their ratio, the Planck mass, in hopes that this could possibly lead to testable quantum gravity (QG) effects in a classical regime. In this quest for QG phenomenology we consider modifications of the standard dispersion relation of a free particle known as deformed special relativity (DSR). We try to geometrize DSR to find the geometric origin of the spacetime and momentum space. In particular, we adopt the framework of Hamilton geometry which is set up on phase space, as the cotangent bundle of configuration space in order to derive a purely phase space formulation of DSR. This is necessary when one wants to understand potential links of DSR with modifications of quantum mechanics such as Generalised Uncertainty Principles. It is subsequently observed that space-time and momentum space emerge naturally as curved and intertwined spaces. In conclusion we mention examples and applications of this framework as well as potential future developments.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The matter power spectrum is key to understanding the growth of large-scale structure in the Universe. Upcoming surveys of galaxies in the optical and HI will probe increasingly large scales, approaching and even exceeding the Hubble scale at the survey redshifts. On these cosmological scales, surveys can in principle provide the best constraints on dark energy (DE) and modified gravity models and will be able to test general relativity itself. However, in order to realise the potential of these surveys, we need to ensure that we are using a correct analysis, i.e. a general relativistic analysis, on cosmological scales. There are two fundamental issues underlying the general relativistic (GR) analysis. Firstly, we need to correctly identify the galaxy overdensity that is observed on the past light cone. Secondly, we need to account for all the distortions arising from observing on the past light cone, including redshift distortions (with all general relativistic effects included) and volume distortions. These general elativistic effects appear in the angular power spectra of matter in redshift space. We compute these quantities, taking into account all general relativistic large-scale effects, and including the important contributions from redshift space distortions and lensing convergence. This is done for self-consistent models of DE, known as ‘quintessence’, which have only been very recently treated in the GR approach. Particularly, we focus mainly on computing the predictions (i.e. the power spectra) that need to be confronted with future data. Hence we compute the GR angular power spectra, correcting the 3D Newtonian calculation for several quintessence models. We also compute the observed 3D power spectra for interacting DE (which until now have not previously been studied in the GR approach) – in which dark matter and DE exchange energy and momentum. Interaction in the dark sector can lead to large-scale deviations in the power spectrum, similar to GR effects or modified gravity. For the quintessence case, we found that the DE perturbations make only a small contribution on the largest scales, and a negligible contribution on smaller scales. Ironically, the DE perturbations remove the false boost of large-scale power that arises if we impose the (unphysical) assumption that the DE perturbations vanish. However, for the interacting DE (IDE) case, we found that if relativistic effects are ignored, i.e. if they are not subtracted in order to isolate the IDE effects, the imprint of IDE will be incorrectly identified – which could lead to a bias in constraints on IDE, on horizon scales. Moreover, we found that on super-Hubble scales, GR corrections in the observed galaxy power spectrum are able to distinguish a homogeneous DE (being one whose density perturbation in comoving gauge vanishes) from the concordance model (and from a clustering DE) – at low redshifts and for high magnification bias. Whereas the matter power spectrum is incapable of distinguishing a homogeneous DE from the concordance model. We also found that GR effects become enhanced with decreasing magnification bias, and with increasing redshift.

Techniques for numerically constructing initial data in the 3+1 formalism of general relativity (GR) are studied, using the theoretical framework described in Bowen and York (1980), Physical Review D 21(8), 2047-2056. The two main assumptions made are maximal slicing and 3-conformal flatness of the generated spaces. For ease of numerical solution, axisymmetry is also assumed, but all the results should extend without difficulty to the non-axisymmetric case. The numerical code described in this thesis may be used to construct vacuum spaces containing arbitrary numbers of black holes, each with freely specifyable (subject to the axisymmetry assumption) position, mass, linear momentum, and angular momentum. It should be emphasised that the time evolution of these spaces has not yet been attempted. There are two significant innovations in this work: the use of a new boundary condition for the surfaces of the black holes, and the use of multiple coordinate patches in the numerical solution. The new boundary condition studied herein requires the inner boundary of the numerical grid to be a marginally trapped surface. This is in contrast to the approach used in much previous work on this problem area, which requires the constructed spaces to be conformally isometric under a "reflection mapping" which interchanges the interior of a specified black hole with the remainder of the space. The new boundary condition is found to be easy to implement, even for multiple black holes. It may also prove useful in time evolution problems. The coordinate choice scheme introduced in this thesis uses multiple coordinate patches in the numerical solution, each with a coordinate system suited to the local physical symmetries of the region of space it covers. Because each patch need only cover part of the space, the metrics on the individual patches can be kept simple, while the overall patch system still covers a complicated topology. The patches are linked together by interpolation across the interpatch boundaries. Bilinear interpolation suffices to give accuracy comparable with that of common second order difference schemes used in numerical GR. This use of multiple coordinate patches is found to work very well in both one and two black hole models, and should generalise to a wide variety of other numerical GR problems. Patches are also found to be a useful (if somewhat over-general) way of introducing spatially varying grid sizes into the numerical code. However, problems may arise when trying to use multiple patches in time evolution problems, in that the interpatch boundaries must not become spurious generators or reflectors of gravitational radiation, due to the interpolation errors. These problems have not yet been studied. The code described in this thesis is tested against Schwarzschild models and against previously published work using the Bowen and York formalism, reproducing the latter within the limits of error of the codes involved. A number of new spaces containing one and two black holes with linear or angular momentum are also constructed to demonstrate the code, although little analysis of these spaces has yet been done. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Entropy bounds arise from Black hole thermodynamics and are a significant departure from the conventional understanding of the information in a given region. This shift in paradigm is a consequence of the the fact that there is an unexpected relationship between the area and the entropy of a given region of spacetime. Entropy bounds are simplified formulations which are ultimately attempting to be developed into the complete and broad conjecture of the Holographic Principle. This hasn’t been achieved successfully as yet. In this thesis the aim is to introduce how the notion of an entropy bound was first suggested and it’s subsequent development into more robust formulations. The shortcomings of these conjectures are highlighted along with their strengths. A foundational introduction of the mathematical requirements for General Relativity is addressed along with an overview of Einstein’s theory of gravity. This is illustrated by showing the curvature of relative geodesics as being a consequence of gravity. This is contrasted with Newtonian theory where gravity is also shown to manifests as the curvature of relative geodesics. The working background is concluded with a discussion of Einstein’s field equations along with simple and common solutions often used and required. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Swartgat Termodinamika impliseer grense op die entropie, en dus inligting, in ’n gegewe ruimtetyd volume, wat ’n drastiese afwyking van die tradisionele denkwyse oor inligting impliseer. Hierdie paradigma skuif het sy oorsprong in ’n onverwagte verband tussen die oppervlakte van, en entropie bevat, in ’n gegewe ruimte tyd volume. Entropie grense is eenvoudige formulerings van hierdie verwantskap wat uiteindelik beslag moet kry in die vollediger en wyer holografiese beginsel. Hierdie doelwit is nog nie bereik nie. Die doel van hierdie tesis is om die oorsprong en verdere formalisering van entropie grense te verduidelik. Beide die sterk en swak punte van die formulerings word bespreek. Algemene relatiwiteits teorie as ’n teorie van gravitasie, sowel as die wiskundige onderbou daarvan, word oorsigtelik bespreek. Die geometries onderbou van gravitasie word geillustreer aan die hand van die buiging van relatiewe geodete. Dit word met Newton se gravitasie teorie vergelyk wat ook in die buiging van relatiewe geodete gemanifesteer word. Hierdie oorsigtelike agtergrond word afgesluit met ’n oorsig van Einstein se vergelykings, asook eenvoudige en algemene oplossings wat dikwels nodig is en gebruik word.

Orientador: José Geraldo Pereira / Banca: Ricardo Antônio Mosna / Banca: Bruto Max Pimentel Escobar / Resumo: O espaço de De Sitter foi estudado pela primeira vez como a solução de vácuo da equação de Einstein com constante cosmológica. Tal visão dinâmica acerca deste espaço predomina entre os físicos ainda nos dias atuais. No entanto, do ponto de vista geométrico, o espaço de de Sitter, assim como Minkowski, é um espaço quociente. Isto significa que o espço de de Sitter pode ser construído independentemente de qualquer teoria gravitacional, sendo portanto mais fundamental do que a equação de Einstein. Consequentemente, torna-se possível construir uma relatividade especial baseada no grupo de de Sitter, que e o grupo cinemático do espaço de de Sitter. Tal teoria vem sendo proposta como generalização da relatividade restrita usual com o nome de relatividade de de Sitter. Nesta, o termo cosmológico é interpretado como uma entidade cinemática, constituindo-se num segundo parâmetro invariante, além da velocidade da luz. Pode-se entender tal modi cação da relatividade einsteniana como uma solução cinemática para o problema da "energia escura". No presente texto, pretendemos delinear as propriedades cinemáticas fundamentais de tal teoria em paralelo com as da relatividade restrita usual, baseada no grupo de Poincar / Abstract: The de Sitter space was rst studied as the vaccum solution of Einstein's eld equation with cosmological constant. This dynamical view of that space is still prevalent among physicists even today. Nevertheless, from the point of view of geometry, the de Sitter space, like Minkowski, is a quotient space. That means that de Sitter space may be built independently of any gravitational theory, being more fundamental than Einstein's equation. Consequently, it turns out possible to construct a special relativity based on the de Sitter group. Such theory has been proposed as a generalization of ordinary special relativity, being called de Sitter relativity. In this theory, the cosmological term is interpreted as a kinematical entity, constituting a second invariant parameter, in addition to the speed of light. Such modi cation of einstenian relativity may be understood as a kinematical solution to the \dark energy" problem. In the present text, we intend to outline the fundamental kinematical properties of such a de Sitter-invariant special relativity, in parallel to those of the ordinary Poincar e-invariant special relativity / Mestre

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