nLab asymptotically flat spacetime

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Idea

A spacetime is asymptotically flat if far enough away from any point it looks like flat Minkowski spacetime.

On asymptotically flat spacetimes a total gravitational mass/energy is well defined, the ADM mass. See also at positive energy theorem.

Regarding a field configuration of Einstein gravity as a Cartan connection for the inclusion of the Lorentz group into the Poincaré group (see at first-order formulation of gravity), then asymptotic flatness means that the Cartan geometry asymptotivally approaches its model Klein geometry. From this perspective there are various generalizations of asymptotic flatness:

for instance for anti de Sitter gravity it means that spacetime asymptootes to anti de Sitter spacetime. For more on this see at AdS-CFT correspondence.

References

Asymptotically Minkowski spacetimes

Asymptotically AdS spacetimes

Last revised on February 1, 2021 at 02:58:15. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.