The Physical-process first law for a rotating black hole states that a small flux of matter through an initially and finally stationary horizon obeys
in units . Let be an affinely parametrized horizon tangent with affine parameter on a bifurcation surface. Constancy of the surface gravity from the Zeroth law of black-hole mechanics and Gaussian null coordinates give the horizon generator
To first order about a stationary horizon, the squared expansion and shear in the Null Raychaudhuri equation are second order. The Einstein field equations reduce it to
The final stationary condition gives
Since , reversing the order of integration yields
The stress-energy current from a Killing vector gives the horizon Killing-energy flux
which proves the stated law.
In the absence of scalar anisotropic stress, the traceless spatial Einstein field equations give
The photon mass-shell condition , together with and , gives to first order
Use the time component of the geodesic equation, divide it by , and substitute the stated Christoffel symbols. Keeping the perturbed ratios where they multiply the background terms makes those terms cancel. Comparing the result with the total derivative of yields
The first term is the time-dependent gravitational redshift and the second is the gravitational frequency shift along the photon direction.
Contracting the Ricci tensor gives the Ricci scalar
Hence the time-time component of the Einstein tensor is . A comoving perfect fluid in general relativity has , so the time-time Einstein field equations give the flat Friedmann equation
Contracting the stated Einstein field equations with in dimensions gives
Thus , and substitution back yields the Trace-reversed Einstein field equations in D dimensions
In the orthonormal frame, the comoving perfect fluid in general relativity has and . The Einstein field equations with cosmological constant therefore give
Thus
Choosing
gives and . The metric is then the Einstein static universe supported by pressureless matter and positive vacuum energy.
For generators of a null hypersurface, the Frobenius theorem gives . The null energy condition and the Einstein field equations imply , while the shear norm is nonnegative. With , Raychaudhuri's equation gives
As long as remains finite,
If , integration gives
The right-hand side reaches zero at , which a finite negative cannot cross. Hence the null focusing theorem forces
provided the generator extends that far.
Write the Einstein field equations in dimensions as
Taking the trace gives
Therefore the Trace-reversed Einstein field equations in D dimensions are
For the values from part (a), let . Then
and
Substitution cancels the terms and yields
For the convention , the prefactor is . This is the Ricci curvature sourced by a Klein-Gordon scalar field.
The Lorenz gauge in linearized gravity gives
so the symmetric amplitude is transverse:
Under this condition the supplied linearized Einstein tensor reduces to
The vacuum Einstein field equations and the plane-wave ansatz then imply
Thus the wavevector is null and the perturbation is a plane gravitational wave in linearized gravity. Lorenz gauge alone does not require the trace of to vanish; that is a further gauge choice.
Write . The delta functions in evaluate the local last-scattering sources, while the piecewise weights the integrated gravitational source. Thus
The first two lines are weighted Sachs-Wolfe combination and Doppler sources at the two last-scattering surfaces; the final lines are the corresponding Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect.
To predict these quantities from primordial perturbations, one solves the coupled linear Einstein field equations and Boltzmann equation hierarchy for photons, baryons, cold dark matter, and neutrinos, together with the ionization history that determines and hence . The solutions provide , , , and at both surfaces and along the line of sight.
Using the stated Christoffel symbols in the definition of the Riemann curvature tensor, the two nontrivial contractions are
Hence
and the vacuum Einstein field equations reduce to
This is the diagonal Rosen coordinates for a plane gravitational wave equation.
For the plus-polarized wave, set
Comparison of the transverse metric components gives, to linear order,
or
Therefore
The Vacuum Einstein equations are consequently satisfied at linear order. A real gravitational wave is obtained by taking the real part of the complex plane-wave notation.
The vacuum Einstein field equations imply and hence . Every term in the supplied general identity involving the Ricci tensor or its covariant derivatives therefore vanishes. Substituting leaves
This nonlinear, gauge-independent curvature equation is the Penrose wave equation.
An asymptotically flat spacetime at future null infinity admits a smooth conformal completion with the following properties. The physical spacetime is the interior of , its metric obeys
and the boundary component satisfies and . Every future-directed outgoing null geodesic has an endpoint there, the generators of are complete, and in four spacetime dimensions . The physical Einstein field equations are vacuum in a neighborhood of this boundary.
Let . Multiplying the supplied conformal Ricci relation by , using , and taking the limit to gives
The boundary normal is therefore null. Since a null normal is also tangent to its hypersurface, generates .
Smoothness makes finite at the boundary. Multiplication of the same vacuum equation by gives there
Taking the trace yields , and substitution gives
The remaining freedom can be used to impose on . In this conformal gauge, there, so the generators are affinely parametrized, expansion-free null geodesics of the unphysical metric.
Choose a generator coordinate , the defining function , and angular coordinates whose leading metric is the round metric on the unit sphere. After the conformal and coordinate choices above, the leading unphysical metric is
with the Minkowski term entering at the next relevant order. Setting recovers the physical asymptotic form
The displayed leading metric is Minkowski spacetime in outgoing null coordinates. Smooth conformal extendibility controls the lower-order corrections, while the vacuum equations constrain them to the radiative Bondi--Sachs expansion. This is the precise sense in which the permitted spacetimes approach Minkowski spacetime near while still allowing outgoing gravitational radiation.
In the static limit, the supplied linearized Riemann tensor gives
The trace of the Einstein field equations is . Here , so . The field equation is therefore
which yields . Combining the two expressions for gives
In the orthonormal frame choose the null vector , which has a nonzero angular component. The curvature forms give
For a null vector, the trace term in the Einstein field equations drops out, so the null energy condition implies . Therefore
Contracting the Einstein field equations with the null tangent eliminates the trace term and gives
by the null energy condition. The screen metric is positive definite, so . The Null Raychaudhuri equation consequently implies
While this is equivalent to
If , integration gives
The right-hand side reaches zero after affine distance . A finite negative expansion cannot pass through this value, so no later than that point. This is the null focusing theorem.
Apply the time-reversed Penrose singularity theorem. The two past-directed null congruences orthogonal to the compact anti-trapped surface have negative expansion. The null energy condition, through the Einstein field equations, supplies the null convergence condition, and the null focusing theorem forces each generator to acquire a conjugate point within finite affine length if it can be extended that far.
If every past-directed null generator were complete, the boundary of the causal past of the surface would therefore be generated only for a bounded affine interval. Compactness of the initial surface and continuous dependence of geodesics on initial data would make that achronal boundary compact. A globally hyperbolic spacetime provides a Cauchy hypersurface and a timelike flow projecting the boundary onto it. The standard Penrose argument then makes its image both open and closed, forcing the connected Cauchy hypersurface to be compact. This contradicts its stipulated topology .
Hence at least one past-directed null generator ends after finite affine parameter: the universe is null-geodesically incomplete to the past. Global hyperbolicity controls the causal boundary, the noncompact spatial topology supplies the contradiction, and the energy condition supplies focusing.
For regular adiabatic initial conditions on superhorizon scales during radiation domination, the unweighted neutrino Boltzmann hierarchy gives and . With and neutrinos the only source of scalar anisotropic stress, the trace-free Einstein field equations gives . For the sign convention ,
For complete asymptotically flat three-dimensional Riemannian initial data with nonnegative scalar curvature and an outermost compact minimal surface boundary of area , the Riemannian Penrose inequality gives the displayed bound. Equality is realized by the spatial exterior of Schwarzschild spacetime. Time-symmetric gravitational initial data have this form when the Einstein field equations and energy hypothesis give the required nonnegative curvature. This theorem does not justify substituting arbitrary non-time-symmetric apparent horizon area into the same formula.
Stress-energy tensor Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The stress-energy tensor describes local energy density, momentum density, and stress. Compatibility with the Einstein field equations requires covariant conservation .
Strong energy condition 2026-09-28
The strong energy condition requires for every timelike vector in four spacetime dimensions. Through the Einstein field equations, it implies the timelike convergence condition when the cosmological constant vanishes.