In simplest terms, what is null dust?

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In summary, the conversation is about null dust and Vaidya spacetime. Null dust is a pressureless fluid with lightlike streamlines. The Vaidya spacetime is explained in sections 4.3.5 and 5.1.8 of Eric Poisson's notes. The book "A Relativist's Toolkit" is recommended for further reading. The prola link mentioned does not work and an arXiv link is provided instead. The conversation also discusses the concept of a wormhole and its connection to the white hole construction. The example given in the conversation uses radiation with negative energy density to hold the wormhole open.
  • #1
nomadreid
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The links I pull up assume that the reader knows what null dust is. Which I don't. An explanation would be appreciated.
The question came up when looking for an (equally absent) clear explanation of Vaidya spacetime.
This, in turn, came up while looking at the article http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PRD/v70/i10/e101502; perhaps also could someone tell me whether this is just a rerun of the outmoded "white hole" construction?
 
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  • #2
Null dust is a pressureless fluid (the dust part) that has lightlike streamlines (the null part).

For the Vaidya spacetime, take a look at sections 4.3.5 and 5.1.8 in Eric Poisson's notes,

http://www.physics.uoguelph.ca/poisson/research/agr.pdf.

Better yet, see if your library has a copy of the excellent book, A Relativist's Toolkit: The Mathematics of Black Hole Mechanics, into which the notes evolved.

Your prola link doesn't work, and I have access to prola. Can you find an arXiv link?
 
  • #3
George Jones said:
Your prola link doesn't work, and I have access to prola. Can you find an arXiv link?

There's a stray semicolon at the end of that link. The correct one is: http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PRD/v70/i10/e101502
 
  • #4
Thanks, George Jones and Christo.
George Jones: I have downloaded the Poisson book on GR, and will be looking working through the sections you mentioned. Thank you for your book recommendation, but I presently have no access to a decent academic library. Christo answered about the link.
 
  • #5
nomadreid said:
is just a rerun of the outmoded "white hole" construction?

No. A wormhole need exotic stuff to hold it open, and this example uses radiation with negative energy density.

arXiv link:

http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0406080.
 

1. What is null dust?

Null dust refers to a type of hypothetical matter that has zero mass and zero energy. It is often used in theoretical physics as a way to simplify complex equations and models.

2. How is null dust different from regular dust?

Regular dust is made up of particles with mass and energy, while null dust has no mass or energy. This means that null dust does not interact with other particles in the same way that regular matter does.

3. Why is null dust important in science?

Null dust is important in science because it allows for the creation of simplified models and equations that can help us understand complex phenomena, such as gravity and the behavior of particles at the quantum level.

4. Is null dust real?

No, null dust is a theoretical concept and has not been observed or proven to exist in the physical world. It is only used in theoretical models and equations to simplify calculations and understand complex systems.

5. How does null dust relate to the concept of nothingness?

Null dust can be thought of as a type of "nothingness" because it has no mass or energy. However, it is a mathematical concept and not a true representation of absolute nothingness, which is a philosophical and metaphysical concept.

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