General Relativity: Is it Local?

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SUMMARY

General relativity (GR) is established as a local theory, where the Lagrangian depends solely on fields and their derivatives at a single spacetime point. The discussion emphasizes that spacetime is modeled as a differential manifold, with each point associated with a Minkowski spacetime where standard physics applies without gravity. The concept of curvature in GR can be defined using an infinitesimally small neighborhood around a point, confirming the locality of the theory.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of differential manifolds
  • Familiarity with Minkowski spacetime
  • Knowledge of Lagrangian mechanics
  • Basic concepts of curvature in geometry
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the implications of local field theories in physics
  • Explore the mathematical framework of differential geometry
  • Investigate the role of curvature in general relativity
  • Learn about the applications of Minkowski spacetime in special relativity
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This discussion is beneficial for physicists, mathematicians, and students of theoretical physics interested in the foundational aspects of general relativity and its local properties.

accdd
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Spacetime is a differential manifold and at each point is attached a Minkowski spacetime.
There the laws of physics are the usual ones without gravity.
Gravity is the curvature of spacetime. To define the concept of curvature do we need to evaluate at least one neighborhood of point P? Is general relativity local?
 
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As all so far successful relativistic field theories also GR is local, i.e., it's Lagrangian depends on the fields and its derivatives at a single spacetime point.
 
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accdd said:
To define the concept of curvature do we need to evaluate at least one neighborhood of point P? Is general relativity local?
An infinitesimally small neighborhood suffices for that purpose, so yes, it's local.
 
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