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Lorentzian manifolds with no null conjugate points

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2004

MANUEL GUTIÉRREZ
Affiliation:
Departamento de Álgebra, Geometría y Topología, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain. e-mail: mgl@agt.cie.uma.esfjpalomo@eresmas.com
FRANCISCO J. PALOMO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Álgebra, Geometría y Topología, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain. e-mail: mgl@agt.cie.uma.esfjpalomo@eresmas.com Current address: Departamento de Matemáticas Aplicada, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain.
ALFONSO ROMERO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Geometría y Topología, Universidad de Granada, 18071-Granada, Spain. e-mail: aromero@ugr.es

Abstract

An integral inequality for a compact Lorentzian manifold which admits a timelike conformal vector field and has no conjugate points along its null geodesics is given. Moreover, equality holds if and only if the manifold has nonpositive constant sectional curvature. The inequality can be improved if the timelike vector field is assumed to be Killing and, in this case, the equality characterizes (up to a finite covering) flat Lorentzian $n(\geq3)$-dimensional tori. As an indirect application of our technique, it is proved that a Lorentzian $2-$torus with no conjugate points along its timelike geodesics and admitting a timelike Killing vector field must be flat.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2004 Cambridge Philosophical Society

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