Null Raychaudhuri equation

For an affinely parametrized null congruence in $D$ spacetime dimensions,

For an affinely parametrized twist-free null geodesic congruence, let $A$ be local transported screen area and ${\sigma }^2={\hat{\sigma }}_{AB}{\hat{\sigma }}^{AB}/2$. The Null Raychaudhuri equation gives ${\theta }^{\prime }=-{\theta }^2/2-2{\sigma }^2-R_{ab}{k}^a{k}^b$ and $A^{\prime }/A=\theta$. Combining these gives the displayed equation. Positive shear focuses the beam and has a negative sign. For nonuniform expansion this is a local area identity, not the same differential equation for the entire integrated horizon area.

In flat spacetime take a twist-free beam's two screen Jacobi factors to be $1+\lambda$ and $1-\lambda$. They solve the zero-curvature geodesic deviation equation. Their product is the displayed area, and subtracting the trace from their optical matrix gives the displayed nonnegative shear. Direct differentiation yields $(A^{1/2}{)}^{\prime \prime }=-(1-{\lambda }^2{)}^{-3/2}=-{\sigma }^2{A}^{1/2}$, an explicit check of the focusing sign.

For a hypersurface-orthogonal null congruence under the null energy condition in $D$ spacetime dimensions, an initially negative expansion ${\theta }_0$ diverges to $-\infty$ within affine distance at most $(D-2)/|{\theta }_0|$.

A conjugate point to a spacelike surface occurs where normal geodesics develop a focal degeneracy: the transverse Jacobi field map from initial points on the surface ceases to be invertible. Collapse of the transverse area makes the null expansion diverge. Beyond a first such point, the normal null geodesic cannot continue as a generator of the achronal boundary of the surface's future.