We present an extension of Geodesics in Lorentzian Manifolds (Semi-Riemannian Manifolds or pseudo-Riemannian Manifolds ). A geodesic on a Riemannian manifold is, locally, a length minimizing curve. On the other hand, geodesics in Lorentzian manifolds can be viewed as a distance between ``events''. They are no longer distance minimizing (instead, some are distance maximizing) and our goal is to illustrate over what time parameter geodesics in Lorentzian manifolds are defined. If all geodesics in timelike or spacelike or lightlike are defined for infinite time, then the manifold is called ``geodesically complete'', or simply, ``complete''. It is easy to show that the magnitude of a geodesic is constant, so one can characterize geodesics in terms of their causal character: if this magnitude is negative, the geodesic is called timelike. If this magnitude is positive, then it is spacelike. If this magnitude is 0, then it is called lightlike or null. Geodesic completeness can be considered by only considering one causal character to produce the notions of spacelike complete, timelike complete, and null or lightlike complete. We illustrate that some of the notions are inequivalent.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (February 26, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-71).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-133). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-133). Also available on the Internet.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Mathematics / Master / Master of Philosophy

The spin^c-invariants for a compact smooth simply-connected oriented four-manifold, as defined by Pidstrigach and Tyurin, are studied in this thesis. Unlike the Donaldson polynomial invariants, they are defined by cutting down the moduli space M' of '1-instantons', which is the subspace of the moduli space M of anti-self-dual connections parametrizing coupled (spin^c) Dirac operators with non-trivial kernel. Our main goal is to study the relationship between these spin^c-invariants and the Donaldson polynomial invariants. The 'jumping subset' M' defined a cohomology class P of M which is given by the generalised Porteous formula. When the index l of the coupled Dirac operator is 1, the two smooth invariants are the same by definition. When l = 0 (or when M is compact), the spin^c-invariants are expressable as a Donaldson polynomial evaluating the 'Porteous class' P. Our main results concern the first two non-trivial cases l = -1 and -2, when the generalised Porteous formula can not be applied directly. Using cut-and-paste arguments to the moduli space M, we show that for the former case the spin^c-invariants and the contracted Donaldson invariants differ by a correction term. It is the number of points in the immediate lower stratum of the Uhlenbeck compactification times a universal 'linking invariant' on S⁴, which is obtained by computing an example (the K3 surface). The case when l = -2 and dimM = 8 is a parametrized version of the l = -1 situation and the correction term, which involves the same 'linking invariant', is obtained from a suitable obstruction theory.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Mathematics, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 24, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-41). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-63). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Doctoral)--Universität Bonn, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references.