The Kerr-Schild Ansatz Revised
The Kerr-Schild Ansatz Revised
kerrschild˙091113˙fin˙grqc
DONATO BINI
Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo “M. Picone,” CNR I-00161 Rome, Italy
ICRA, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” I-00185 Rome, Italy
ICRANet, I-65100 Pescara, Italy
binid@icra.it
ANDREA GERALICO
Physics Department, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” I-00185 Rome, Italy
ICRA, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” I-00185 Rome, Italy
ICRANet, I-65100 Pescara, Italy
geralico@icra.it
ROY P. KERR
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
ICRANet, I-65100 Pescara, Italy
roy.kerr@canterbury.ac.nz
Kerr-Schild metrics have been introduced as a linear superposition of the flat spacetime
metric and a squared null vector field, say k, multiplied by some scalar function, say
H. The basic assumption which led to Kerr solution was that k be both geodesic and
shearfree. This condition is relaxed here and Kerr-Schild ansatz is revised by treating
Kerr-Schild metrics as exact linear perturbations of Minkowski spacetime. The scalar
function H is taken as the perturbing function, so that Einstein’s field equations are
solved order by order in powers of H. It turns out that the congruence must be geodesic
and shearfree as a consequence of third and second order equations, leading to an alter-
native derivation of Kerr solution.
1. Introduction
Kerr-Schild metrics have the form [1,2]
ds2 = gαβ dxα dxβ ≡ (ηαβ − 2Hkα kβ )dxα dxβ , (1)
where ηαβ is the metric for Minkowski space and kα is a null vector
ηαβ k α k β = gαβ k α k β = 0, k α = η αβ kβ = g αβ kβ . (2)
The inverse metric is also linear in H
g αβ = η αβ + 2Hk α k β , (3)
1
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2. Modified ansatz
Let ǫ be an arbitrary constant parameter, eventually to be set equal to 1, so that
the Kerr-Schild metric (1) reads
gαβ = ηαβ − 2ǫHkα kβ , (1)
with inverse
g αβ = η αβ + 2ǫHk α k β , (2)
and suppose that coordinates are chosen so that the components ηαβ are constants,
but not necessarily of the form ηαβ = diag[−1, 1, 1, 1]. The connection is then
quadratic in ǫ
Γγ αβ = ǫ Γ γ αβ + ǫ2 Γ γ αβ , (3)
1 2
where
Γ1 γ αβ = −(Hkα k γ ),β − (Hkβ k γ ),α + (Hkα kβ ),λ η λγ ,
Γ2 γ αβ = 2H[H(k̇α kβ + k̇β kα ) + Ḣkα kβ ]k γ ≡ 2Hk γ (Hkα k β )˙ , (4)
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The vacuum Einstein’s equations Rαβ = 0 imply that contributions of all orders
must vanish. Let us evaluate all such components.
The highest components of the expansion for the Ricci tensor are
R = − Γ ρ ασ Γ σ βρ = 0 , (10)
4 αβ 2 2
R = − Γ ρ ασ Γ σ βρ − Γ ρ ασ Γ σ βρ = 4H 3 ||k̇||2 kα kβ . (11)
3 αβ 1 2 2 1
where
A = η λγ H,λγ ,
1
Bβ = −(Hk γ ),γβ + η λγ (H 2 kβ,γ ),λ ,
H
Xαβ = −2H (k(α,β) k γ ),γ + k(α,|γ| k γ ,β) − η λγ kα,γ kβ,λ
with
Bβ = −(Ḣ + 2θH),β + η λγ (2H,λ kβ,γ + Hkβ,γλ ) . (25)
The vector k is an eigenvalue of the Ricci tensor, i.e.
Rασ k σ = (Bσ k σ )kα . (26)
It proves easier to handle with the remaining set of first order field equations
by specifying a general field of real null direction in Minkowski space together with
an adapted tetrad frame, then setting to zero each individual frame component of
the first order Ricci tensor.
The nonvanishing relevant frame components of the first order Ricci tensor (24)
are given by
have been used here to simplify the expressions involving frame derivatives of H.
Setting to zero each component of Eqs. (47a)–(47e) gives a set of first order equa-
tions. Note that the condition coming from Eq. (47e) is the same as Eq. (46).
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3. Concluding remarks
We have presented an alternative derivation of Kerr solution by treating Kerr-Schild
metrics as exact linear perturbations of Minkowski spacetime. In fact they have been
introduced as a linear superposition of the flat spacetime metric and a squared null
vector field k multiplied by a scalar function H.
In the case of Kerr solution the vector k is geodesic and shearfree and it is
independent of the mass parameter M, which enters instead the definition of H
linearly. This linearity property allows one to solve the field equations order by
order in powers of H in complete generality, i.e. without any assumption on the null
congruence k. The Ricci tensor turns out to consist of three different contributions.
Third order equations all imply that k must be geodesic; it must be also shearfree
as a consequence of first order equations, whereas the solution for H comes from
second order equations too.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Prof. R. Ruffini and ICRANet for support.
References
[1] R. P. Kerr and A. Schild, A new class of vacuum solutions of the Einstein field
equations, in Atti del convegno sulla relatività generale; problemi dell’energia e onde
gravitazionali, ed. G. Barbera (Firenze, 1965) p. 173.
[2] R. P. Kerr and A. Schild, Proc. Symp. Appl. Math. 17 (1965), 199.
[3] R. P. Kerr, Phys. Rev. Lett. 11 (1963), 237.
[4] J. N. Goldberg and R. K. Sachs, Acta Phys. Polon. 22 Suppl. (1962), 13.
[5] G. Debney, R. P. Kerr and A. Schild, J. Math. Phys. 10 (1969), 1842.
[6] R. P. Kerr and W. B. Wilson, Gen. Rel. Grav. 10 (1979), 273.
[7] H. Stephani, D. Kramer, M. A. H. MacCallum, C. Hoenselaers and E. Herlt, Exact
Solutions of Einstein’s Field Equations, 2nd ed. (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge,
2003).