Kerr & Kerr-Newman Solutions in Straumann's GR

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In summary, Norbert Straumann discusses the Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions in his book "General Relativity". He explains that these solutions are only valid for the exterior of objects because they are vacuum solutions, and there is no guarantee that they represent the exterior of any rotating axisymmetric object. While there are papers that suggest these solutions are unique, there is still no known solution for the interior of the object that matches them. This could mean that these solutions are only applicable to black holes, but it is possible that there are other objects with similar properties. Further research is needed to fully understand the implications of these solutions.
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ShayanJ
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In the book General Relativity by Norbert Straumann, He derives the Kerr's solution in the chapter about black holes and then modifies it to get the Kerr-Newman solution. Then he calculates the g-factor of a rotating charged black hole using the Kerr-Newman solution(and gets the amazing result 2). But all along the way, he calls the gravitating body a black hole. But these solutions aren't only for black holes right? So he only calls the object black hole because he's doing all of these things in the black holes' chapter? If this is correct, so any rotating charged object has g-factor 2 in GR? In contrast to classical physics where there is no g?
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The Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions are valid as the exterior solutions only. They do not work on the interior of the object because they are vacuum solutions. However, unlike the Schwarzschild case where good interior solutions are known and match the exterior solutions, I don't believe there has been a good interior solution that matches the Kerr solution. In addition, there's no analogue of Birkhoff's theorem that I am aware of that applies to the Kerr solution. So whereas the Schwarzschild solution describes the exterior of any spherically symmetric and static body, I don't think there's a guarantee that the Kerr solution is the exterior of any rotating , axisymmetric object.
 
  • #3
Matterwave said:
The Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions are valid as the exterior solutions only. They do not work on the interior of the object because they are vacuum solutions. However, unlike the Schwarzschild case where good interior solutions are known and match the exterior solutions, I don't believe there has been a good interior solution that matches the Kerr solution. In addition, there's no analogue of Birkhoff's theorem that I am aware of that applies to the Kerr solution. So whereas the Schwarzschild solution describes the exterior of any spherically symmetric and static body, I don't think there's a guarantee that the Kerr solution is the exterior of any rotating , axisymmetric object.
About uniqueness theorem, I found these papers which say that Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions actually are unique. But I haven't read these papers and also from a video lecture on GR, I know they are true under certain conditions and not for all axially symmetric rotating objects.(But its not mentioned in the abstract of these papers!)
http://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0101012.pdf
http://sma.epfl.ch/~wwywong/thesis.pdf
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1208.0294v1.pdf
http://luth.obspm.fr/~luthier/carter/trav/Carter71.pdf

But the fact that there is still no solution for interior of the object that matches Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions, seems to be a good reason for these solutions being only applicable for BHs...at least yet.
Is it only that interior solutions haven't been found yet, or there is a special kind of peculiarity with them?
 
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  • #4
In fact I was just making some comments on the Kerr solution. Comments that I thought may help you in these areas. However, I am far from an expert in this field, so I don't think I can give you much more insight that I already have haha.
 
  • #5
Could a star have a net charge?
 
  • #7
Shyan said:
But even if its not possible, I don't have to talk about stars. I can talk about a rotating charged football.

And what kind of "gravitational effects" would you suspect around a football ? They would be highly perturbative/weak... that's why I thought of a star as another stage [apart a black hole] where you could apply the K-N metric.
 
  • #8
ChrisVer said:
And what kind of "gravitational effects" would you suspect around a football ? They would be highly perturbative/weak... that's why I thought of a star as another stage [apart a black hole] where you could apply the K-N metric.
Ok, take the Death Star(in Star Wars). I just mean we can imagine something that allows us to assign it a net charge.
Also a weak gravitational field still follows GR. We can choose not to expand!
 
  • #9
I highly recommend you read Visser's classic review of Kerr as it will answer all your questions: http://arxiv.org/pdf/0706.0622v3.pdf

But in short Straumann's calculations in chapter 8 apply necessarily to a rotating black hole but not necessarily to any and all rotating compact objects.
 
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1. What are Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions in Straumann's GR?

Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions in Straumann's GR are mathematical equations that describe stationary, axisymmetric solutions to Einstein's field equations in general relativity. They were first proposed by Roy Kerr and Ernst Straumann respectively, and are widely used in the study of black holes and other astrophysical phenomena.

2. How do Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions differ from other solutions in GR?

Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions differ from other solutions in GR because they include the effects of rotation and electric charge, respectively. This makes them more realistic and applicable to a wider range of astrophysical scenarios.

3. What is the significance of Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions in astrophysics?

Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions have significant implications in astrophysics as they provide a theoretical basis for understanding the behavior of rotating and charged black holes. They also have applications in areas such as accretion disks, neutron stars, and active galactic nuclei.

4. Can Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions be tested experimentally?

Yes, Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions can be tested experimentally through observations of astrophysical systems that exhibit the characteristics predicted by these solutions. For example, the spinning motion of black holes and the presence of electric fields around them can be detected using various astronomical instruments.

5. Are Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions compatible with other theories in physics?

Yes, Kerr and Kerr-Newman solutions are compatible with other theories in physics, including quantum mechanics and electromagnetism. They have been extensively studied and validated by researchers, and have been shown to be consistent with other fundamental principles and laws in physics.

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