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Each Killing vector field supplies a conserved quantity for freely moving test particles: it turns a geometric symmetry into a first integral of the geodesic equation. Let $\gamma (\lambda )$ be a geodesic with affine parameter $\lambda$, tangent vector $U^{\mu }=d{x}^{\mu }/d\lambda$, and ${\nabla }_{U}U=0$. Wherever a Killing vector field $K$ is defined along the geodesic,The statement applies to Riemannian manifolds and to timelike geodesics, null geodesics and spacelike geodesics in a Lorentzian manifold. It requires an affine parameter; for a massive test particle, proper time is one choice. See Tong, section 4.3.2, equation (4.32).

For a worked example in the Euclidean plane, take $\gamma (t)=(1+t,2-t)$ with affine parameter $t$ and velocity $U=(1,-1)$. The Euclidean Killing vector fields for translation and rotation giveThe rotational field along the geodesic is $K_{\mathrm{rot}}(\gamma (t))=(t-2,1+t)$: it changes from $(-2,1)$ at $t=0$ to $(-1,2)$ at $t=1$, yet its pairing with $U$ stays $-3$. With toy mass $m=1$ and $t$ interpreted as time, the first constant is the $x$ component of linear momentum, and the second is the signed $z$ component of angular momentum about the origin. Their numerical values use toy units. The geodesic is straight; the rotation flow orbits are circles.

This conservation law follows from metric compatibility and the Killing equation:The geodesic equation kills the acceleration term, and the symmetric product $U^{\mu }{U}^{\nu }$ selects the vanishing symmetric derivative. This tensor contraction is the whole proof outline; see Carroll, equation (5.43).

In a stationary spacetime, a chosen time-translation Killing vector field $K$ gives Killing energy. With metric signature $(-+++)$, $c=1$, and a massive test particle's four-momentum $p^{\mu }=m{U}^{\mu }$, the physical normalization isHere $\Phi$ generates the axial rotational symmetry when one exists. In coordinates with $K={\partial }_t$ and $\Phi ={\partial }_{\varphi }$, these are $E=-p_t$ and $L_z=p_{\varphi }$. Both are conserved quantities along the geodesic, even if the metric has a time-angle cross term. A future timelike $K$ makes $E$ positive for a future massive particle; the scale of $E$ depends on the normalization of $K$. Not every spacetime has a global timelike Killing vector field, and a stationary field can become spacelike in an ergoregion of a stationary spacetime. Conservation on the field's domain does not imply a universal global positive energy; see Tong, sections 4.3.1-4.3.2 on the timelike-domain qualification and conserved charges.

Use geometrized units $G=c=1$. The Physical-process first law of black-hole mechanics concerns a small perturbation of a rotating black hole in an initially stationary spacetime by infalling matter, followed by relaxation to another stationary spacetime. For an uncharged black hole, or neutral accretion with charge held fixed, its first-order statement isHere $\kappa >0$ is the background surface gravity, ${\Omega }_H$ is the background horizon angular velocity, and $\delta A$ is the change in event horizon area. The energy $\delta E$ and angular momentum $\delta J$ are the fluxes carried into the event horizon; when these account for the changes of the black hole, they equal $\delta M$ and its change of angular momentum. The result is a linearized law, not an exact identity for a finite violent accretion event. The perturbation must be small enough that focusing does not produce new caustics or invalidate the expansion about the existing generators.

Let $k^a$ be the stationary Killing vector field normalized at infinity, $m^a$ the axial Killing vector field with $2\pi$-periodic orbits, andOn the background Killing horizon, ${\chi }^a$ is its future-directed null generator and satisfies ${\chi }^b{\nabla }_b{\chi }^a=\kappa {\chi }^a$. Choose a parameter $v$ with $\chi ={\partial }_v$. The null expansion in this parameter is $\theta ={\partial }_v\log dA$. The generator is not affinely parametrized; if $\ell ={\partial }_{\lambda }$ is affine, then $\chi =\kappa \lambda \ell$ after an appropriate choice of affine origin, with $\lambda \propto e^{\kappa v}$. Rescaling the Null Raychaudhuri equation givesThe null twist vanishes because the generators are normal to the event horizon. By the Einstein field equations, $R_{ab}{\chi }^a{\chi }^b=8\pi T_{ab}{\chi }^a{\chi }^b$. Background null expansion and null shear vanish on a Killing horizon of the background stationary spacetime. Thus $\theta$ and $\hat{\sigma }$ are first order, their squares are second order, and the linearized equation isThe final stationary spacetime supplies the boundary condition $\theta \to 0$ in the future. Explicitly,This future boundary condition reflects the global definition of the event horizon. For localized infall, $\theta$ also tends to zero in the remote past. Integrating the linearized equation along the generators, and then over a background cross-section with area element $d{A}_0$, givesUsing the background area element introduces only second-order corrections.

With orientations chosen so that future infalling positive energy has positive flux, the conserved Killing energy and axial angular momentum giveConsequently $\delta E-{\Omega }_H\delta J={\int }_{\mathcal{H}}\delta T_{ab}{\chi }^a{\chi }^{b}dvd{A}_0$, proving the displayed Physical-process first law of black-hole mechanics. Restoring $G$ replaces $8\pi$ by $8\pi G$. The null energy condition makes the integral nonnegative and therefore implies area increase in this regime; that condition is needed for the sign conclusion, not for the linearized flux identity itself. Charged infall would require the additional electrostatic work term, and an extremal background needs separate treatment because the proof uses $\kappa >0$.

An asymptotically flat spacetime is a stationary spacetime if it admits a complete stationary Killing vector field $K$, with ${\mathcal{L}}_{K}g=0$, timelike near infinity and normalized there to a unit time translation. It need not remain timelike in an ergoregion of a stationary spacetime. It is axisymmetric if it admits an axial Killing vector field $\Phi$, whose flow is a rotational $U(1)$ action: its spacelike orbits away from the axis are closed with period $2\pi$, and it vanishes on the regular rotation axis. For a stationary axisymmetric spacetime, the generators can be chosen to commute, $[K,\Phi ]=0$. These are geometric symmetries, not merely time-independent or angle-independent coordinate labels.

An isolated uncharged collapsing star initially has higher multipole moments and possibly time-dependent motion. The changing exterior emits gravitational waves, carrying away energy and nonspherical structure. Perturbations of the final black hole decay, so the late exterior is expected to approach a stationary spacetime.

Under the regularity, asymptotic flatness, and connected-horizon hypotheses of the black-hole uniqueness theorem, a stationary four-dimensional vacuum black hole is a Kerr black hole. Since the electric charge is zero, its intrinsic parameters areThe black-hole no-hair theorem expresses the loss of independently specifiable higher multipoles: those of the final Kerr black hole are determined by $M,J$. The direction of the rotation axis can be chosen by orienting the coordinates and is not an additional intrinsic parameter of the geometry.

This is a statement about the settled, isolated exterior in classical general relativity, conditional on settling and the hypotheses of the black-hole uniqueness theorem. It does not describe the entire radiating collapse spacetime with only two numbers, nor does it extend unchanged to additional long-range matter fields.

Use the standard meaning of static spacetime: a stationary spacetime chart whose time-space components also vanish. The printed static definition needs to inherit the timelike requirement $g_{00}<0$; without it, the requested timelike conclusion does not follow.

The preceding argument shows that $V={\partial }_0$ is a timelike Killing vector field. Its metric-dual one-form is $v=V_{\mu }d{x}^{\mu }=g_{00}d{x}^0$. Its exterior derivative satisfiesFor a torsion-free connection, antisymmetrizing the covariant derivative of a one-form gives its exterior derivative. Consequently the Killing vector has hypersurface orthogonality:Geometrically, the hypersurfaces $x^0=\mathrm{constant}$ are orthogonal to $V$.

In a stationary spacetime chart, take $V={\partial }_0$. Its squared length is $g_{00}<0$, so $V$ is a timelike vector. Since its components are constant, the Lie derivative of a tensor field obeys $({\mathcal{L}}_{V}g{)}_{\mu \nu }={\partial }_0{g}_{\mu \nu }=0$. For the Levi-Civita connection,so $V$ satisfies the Killing equation.

Conversely, a timelike Killing vector field is nowhere zero. Apply the flow-box theorem to choose coordinates with $V={\partial }_0$. The Killing equation then gives ${\partial }_0{g}_{\mu \nu }=0$, and $g_{00}=g(V,V)<0$. Thus local stationarity is equivalent to the existence of a timelike Killing vector field.

An isolated collapse emits transient matter and gravitational waves. The exterior is expected to settle to an asymptotically flat stationary spacetime. Because the star is uncharged, the black-hole uniqueness theorem identifies the regular final state with a Kerr black hole. Its higher multipole moments are fixed by its conserved charges: the black-hole no-hair theorem leaves only the total mass $M$ and angular momentum $J$. Thus the late-time spacetime is characterized by $M$ and $J$.

For a real free scalar field on a globally hyperbolic spacetime, takeThe Klein-Gordon equation has a well-posed initial-value problem on every Cauchy hypersurface. Its complex solution space carries the conserved Klein-Gordon inner product. Choose modes withand expandThe canonical commutation relations produce the bosonic Fock space, and $a_i|0⟩=0$ defines the chosen vacuum.

The choice of positive-frequency solutions is extra structure. In a time-dependent geometry there is no preferred time translation, so different choices mix $u_i$ with $u_i^{\ast }$ and give the vacuum ambiguity in a nonstationary spacetime. In a stationary spacetime, a timelike Killing vector field defines positive frequency by $i{\mathcal{L}}_K{u}_i={\omega }_i{u}_i$, ${\omega }_i>0$, and hence the preferred vacuum state in a stationary spacetime.

If the spacetime is stationary in the remote past and future, define normalized in- and out-modes there. Their Bogoliubov transformation isThe expected out-particle number in the in-vacuum isThus nonzero beta coefficients measure particle creation by the intervening time dependence.

On a stationary spacetime, choose a complete set of complex solutions $u_i$ of the massive Klein-Gordon equation that have positive frequency with respect to the timelike Killing vector field and are orthonormal in the conserved Klein-Gordon inner product:The existence of a Cauchy hypersurface in the globally hyperbolic spacetime makes the classical initial-value problem and this inner product well defined. Expand the real field asThe vacuum state in a stationary spacetime is defined byActing with the creation operators builds the bosonic Fock space.

A black-hole metric is stationary when it admits a Killing field $K$ generating time translations and timelike near spatial infinity. It is static when $K$ is also hypersurface orthogonal,In coordinates adapted to a static field, the metric coefficients are time independent and the time-space cross terms vanish.