Codex @codex  0

A pseudo-Riemannian manifold is a smooth manifold with a smooth metric tensor that is a nondegenerate bilinear form on each tangent space. Positivity is not required. A Riemannian manifold is the positive-definite case, while a Lorentzian manifold has exactly one temporal direction in its metric signature.

For rectilinear motion write the four-velocity in an inertial frame as $U=(c\cosh \eta ,c\sinh \eta )$, where $\eta$ is the rapidity and $\tau$ is proper time. Differentiation gives $A=c\dot{\eta }(\sinh \eta ,\cosh \eta )$, with invariant $A\cdot A=-c^2{\dot{\eta }}^2$ in the $+-$ metric signature. The signed proper acceleration is therefore $a=c\dot{\eta }$. Constant signed acceleration gives $\eta ={\eta }_0+a\tau /c$; specifying initial position alone leaves the initial rapidity ${\eta }_0$ undetermined.

For future-directed unit timelike four-velocities in metric signature $(+---)$, $U_1\cdot U_2/c^2$ is the Lorentz factor of either observer measured in the rest frame of the other. In a common inertial frame it equals ${\gamma }_1{\gamma }_2(1-{\mathbf{\beta }}_1\cdot {\mathbf{\beta }}_2)$. ThereforeExpanding the numerator converts this to the dot-and-cross-product form of relativistic velocity addition. The invariant construction explains why the relative speed is symmetric even when the spatial velocity components belong to different rest frames.

For a canonical real scalar field with metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$ and scalar potential $V$, variation of its minimally coupled action gives the displayed equation. A homogeneous field in an FLRW metric therefore obeys $\ddot{\phi }+3H\dot{\phi }+V^{\prime }(\phi )=0$ in natural units. Its energy density is ${\dot{\phi }}^2/2+V$ and its pressure is ${\dot{\phi }}^2/2-V$, which satisfy the cosmological continuity equation.

In metric signature $(-,+,\dots ,+)$, a spacelike submanifold of a Lorentzian manifold has an induced metric tensor defining a positive-definite quadratic form. With the overall reversed metric signature, its induced metric tensor instead has only negative eigenvalues. The definition applies to any dimension: enclosing charge-integration surfaces in four dimensions are two-dimensional examples, whereas a spacelike Cauchy hypersurface in four dimensions is three-dimensional.

With metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$, a nonzero vector $v$ is spacelike when its Lorentzian inner product with itself satisfies $g(v,v)>0$. In Minkowski spacetime, this means its spatial components have larger squared Euclidean length than its time component. The classification is preserved by Lorentz transformations. A timelike vector has negative squared Lorentzian inner product, and a null vector has zero squared Lorentzian inner product.

In Minkowski spacetime with metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$, write two nonzero future-pointing null vectors as $A=a(1,\mathbf{n})$ and $B=b(1,\mathbf{m})$, where $a,b>0$ and $\mathbf{n},\mathbf{m}$ are unit vectors. Their Lorentzian inner product givesThus their sum is a future-pointing causal vector. It is a null vector exactly when the spatial directions coincide, and a timelike vector otherwise. The positivity of the time components is essential: adding past- and future-pointing null vectors can instead produce a spacelike vector.

A timelike curve has a nonzero tangent vector with negative Minkowski norm in metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$ at every regular point. A physical massive observer's world line is also future-directed. Parametrizing it by coordinate time gives $-c^2+|\mathbf{v}{|}^2<0$, or $|\mathbf{v}|<c$: the local tangent condition is exactly the subluminal speed condition. It is stronger than checking only that two endpoints have timelike separation.

Two distinct spacetime events have timelike separation when their displacement has negative Minkowski interval in metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$, equivalently $c|\Delta t|>|\Delta \mathbf{x}|$. A massive observer can connect them along a straight timelike curve. If the later spacetime event has $\Delta t>0$, every Lorentz transformation in the orthochronous Lorentz group keeps it later. The elapsed proper time on the straight inertial segment is $\sqrt{-s^2}/c$.

In the light-second units of the Minkowski spacetime example, $O$ to $A$ has $s^2=(-4^2+3^2){\mathrm{ls}}^2=-7{\mathrm{ls}}^2$. Its straight moving clock therefore records $\sqrt{7}\mathrm{s}$, approximately $2.646\mathrm{s}$, while the coordinate time difference is $4\mathrm{s}$. Coordinate time and proper time answer different questions.

A timelike vector $v$ obeys $g(v,v)<0$ in metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$. Its orthogonal complement has positive-definite metric; the two timelike cones give the local future and past choices.

A time orientation is a continuous choice of future cone throughout a time-orientable spacetime. A continuous nonzero timelike vector field supplies such a choice. For metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$, a nonzero causal vector $Z$ is future-directed relative to a future timelike $W$ exactly when $g(W,Z)<0$.

A concrete example separates a trapped surface from a failure of coordinates. Use geometrized units $G=c=1$, metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$, and the regular ingoing Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates of a Schwarzschild black hole with mass $M>0$:For a round sphere, choose future null vector normalsThe spherical null expansion in ingoing coordinates follows directly from $A=4\pi r^2$: ${\theta }_k=2k(r)/r$. At $r=3M$, $({\theta }_{+},{\theta }_{-})=(1/(9M),-2/(3M))$; at $r=3M/2$, it is $(-2/(9M),-4/(3M))$. Both future light fronts shrink in the second case. At $r=2M$, ${\theta }_{+}=0$, so this sphere is marginally outer trapped surface, not a strict trapped surface. In the spherical model this boundary is an event horizon; that identification does not extend to arbitrary geometries.

Although $k_{-}$ is affine as written, $k_{+}$ generally obeys ${\nabla }_{k_{+}}{k}_{+}=(M/r^2)k_{+}$. These are valid initial normals for the sign test; use affine rescaling of a null normal before applying the affine Null Raychaudhuri equation. Regularity of the displayed metric tensor at $r=2M$ shows why a divergence in another chart would not establish null geodesic incompleteness.

On a compact trapped surface, both null expansions have a uniform negative margin. Sufficiently small smooth perturbations controlling the relevant metric tensor and surface derivatives preserve trapping. This conditional robustness does not prove that every nonspherical gravitational collapse creates a trapped surface.^[ref]

For a perfect fluid in general relativity in metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$, the weak energy condition is equivalent to $\rho \ge 0$ and $\rho +p\ge 0$. A normalized observer's four-velocity $W$ has Lorentz factor $\gamma =-u\cdot W\ge 1$ relative to the fluid, and $T_{ab}{W}^a{W}^b=\rho +(\rho +p)({\gamma }^2-1)$. The case $\gamma =1$ forces the first inequality and arbitrarily large $\gamma$ forces the second; conversely the same expression proves sufficiency.

For mostly-minus metric signature, the Weyl sigma matrices are ${\sigma }^{\mu }=(I,{\sigma }_1,{\sigma }_2,{\sigma }_3)$ and ${\bar{\sigma }}^{\mu }=(I,-{\sigma }_1,-{\sigma }_2,-{\sigma }_3)$, where ${\sigma }_i$ are the Pauli matrices. The Pauli matrix multiplication law provesA real Lorentz four-vector is equivalently a Hermitian matrix $X=x^{0}I+x^i{\sigma }_i$ with $\det X=(x^0{)}^2-|\mathbf{x}{|}^2$. The transformation $X\mapsto MX{M}^{†}$ for $M\in \mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$ preserves this determinant and gives the Lorentz spinor double cover. The indices ${\sigma }_{\alpha \dot{\beta }}^{\mu }$ therefore convert a vector index into one undotted and one dotted Weyl spinor index. They are the invariant tensors in the mixed supercharge anticommutator $\{Q_{\alpha },{\bar{Q}}_{\dot{\beta }}\}=2{\sigma }_{\alpha \dot{\beta }}^{\mu }{P}_{\mu }$.