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Compact Cauchy slices in de Sitter block the Penrose conclusion
An exact Lorentzian counterexample to omitting the noncompact-Cauchy hypothesis. The model is mathematical; no observational or matter interpretation is asserted.
Example
Assume the Axiom of Choice. For , let be the hyperboloid in five-dimensional Minkowski space, with its induced Lorentzian metric and future orientation. The global coordinates give with . Use geometric length coordinates: and affine parameters are in metres, is in , and is dimensionless. Every slice is a compact connected Cauchy hypersurface, and the spacetime is globally hyperbolic. Every future null geodesic is complete and for every null vector . For any , the equatorial sphere is future trapped, with both expansions equal to (units ). Thus this model satisfies the trapped-surface and null-Ricci hypotheses and is null complete; its compact Cauchy slices show why the noncompact-Cauchy hypothesis in the Penrose theorem cannot be omitted.
Example references
Diagram conventions
The diagram is a schematic conformal causal picture of the global coordinates. Put , so and The drawn rectangle has horizontally and vertically, on equal scales; radial null rays therefore have slope . Each interior point represents an orbit. The vertical sides are regular poles where that orbit collapses, not spacetime boundaries. The top and bottom are spacelike conformal boundaries , not points of and not null infinity. The middle line is a compact Cauchy ; the lower interior line marks . The rays illustrate the two future null normal directions at the trapped sphere. No horizon is drawn, and the diagram is not used in the proof.
Facts & Assumptions
Given: , the unit round metric on , the induced hyperboloid metric, and Countable Choice and Dependent Choice as consequences of AC.
Euclidean spheres and closed balls as subspaces of and The round metric on the sphere as an induced metric: is the unit sphere in with its smooth round Riemannian metric, and its equatorial has the induced round metric.
The warped product of a two-dimensional Lorentzian base with a round sphere: Christoffel symbols and Ricci tensor: for , , and on , the Ricci tensor is given by and , with the Christoffel symbols stated there.
Trapping and the asymptotic black-hole region and Null normal pairs and screen geometry: a future trapped surface has both future null expansions negative; with .
Geodesic of an affine connection and Existence and uniqueness of the metric-selected connection of a nondegenerate metric, and its extension to tensor fields: an affinely parametrized geodesic has zero covariant acceleration for the unique metric-compatible torsion-free connection.
Causal curves, chronological and causal reachability, and inextendibility and Spacelike hypersurfaces, acausal sets, Cauchy sets, domains of dependence and Cauchy horizons: a Cauchy hypersurface is a spacelike hypersurface met exactly once by every inextendible causal curve.
The existence of a Cauchy set implies strong causality and compact causal diamonds: under Countable Choice and Dependent Choice, the existence of a Cauchy set implies strong causality and compact causal diamonds, hence global hyperbolicity.
Smooth time-oriented Lorentzian four-manifolds: the geometric objects of the model: in a time-oriented Lorentzian manifold, a nonzero causal vector is future-directed exactly when its metric pairing with the future timelike orientation field is negative.
Heine-Borel in : with the Euclidean metric a subset of is compact if and only if it is closed and bounded, and the proof by bisection uses no choice principle; the same holds on the real line and A closed subspace of a compact space is compact, and a finite union of compact subspaces is compact: the unit sphere is compact, and closed subsets of compact spaces are compact.
The Axiom of Choice and AC implies DC implies countable choice: AC implies both dependent choice and countable choice.
Compactness of the future horismos under null completeness: under Countable Choice and Dependent Choice, global hyperbolicity, a compact future trapped surface, null Ricci nonnegativity, and future null completeness, is compact.
Penrose null geodesic incompleteness: under AC, global hyperbolicity, a compact future trapped surface, and null Ricci nonnegativity, the incompleteness conclusion also requires a connected noncompact smooth spacelike Cauchy hypersurface.
Chart independence, concatenation, reparametrization and transitivity for causal curves: the coordinates of a causal curve are locally absolutely continuous; under Countable Choice and Dependent Choice their scalar coordinates obey the fundamental theorem of calculus on compact parameter subintervals.
A complete temporal flow identifies smooth Cauchy slices: for a supplied complete timelike product flow and any smooth spacelike Cauchy hypersurface, projection along the flow is a diffeomorphism onto the product-flow slice; diffeomorphisms preserve compactness.
Assume the Axiom of Choice. Its Countable Choice and Dependent Choice consequences supply the choice hypotheses of the cited geometric and causal suppliers, including [F12] in step 1.2, [F6] in step 2.1, and [F10] in step 3.1.
Verification
Given: [F1]–[F13] and [A1].
The map is a smooth bijection from onto . Its inverse is and , so it is a diffeomorphism. Pulling back the ambient metric gives with ; hence is Lorentzian and is a smooth future timelike orientation. Let and identify . Then is a diffeomorphism with ; each orbit is future timelike, and along its two ends prevents a limit point in , so the orbit is inextendible. The unit sphere is compact by [F8] and connected because any two points are joined by a great-circle arc (with an intermediate point chosen for antipodal pairs).
Let be any future causal curve. At almost every parameter its tangent is nonzero future causal, so and . Since and the round metric on is induced from , every angular component satisfies almost everywhere. By [F12], for any compact subinterval and each coordinate , The function is strictly increasing, since its derivative is positive almost everywhere on every nondegenerate subinterval. If its future endpoint were a finite , then and the four component estimates make each Cauchy as approaches the endpoint. Completeness of gives a limit , and continuity of the Euclidean norm gives , so . Hence in , contradicting the definition of future-inextendibility; the vertical curve also exhibits a future timelike continuation. The same estimates at a finite past endpoint give a past limit and contradict past-inextendibility. Thus every inextendible causal curve has -range . Continuity and strict monotonicity make every slice meet it exactly once. Each slice is smooth and spacelike with metric ; it is compact and connected by [F1], [F8], hence is a compact connected Cauchy hypersurface.
On , write with , so for and . Directly from the two-dimensional Christoffel symbols and , one gets , , , , , and .
Let be an affinely parametrized null geodesic on the hyperboloid. The tangential projection of the ambient flat derivative is torsion-free and compatible with the induced metric: projecting removes only a normal component, which is orthogonal to every tangent field, while the ambient derivative preserves the metric and torsion. By uniqueness of the metric-selected connection, this projected derivative is the geodesic connection. Hence is normal to the hyperboloid and is a scalar multiple . Differentiating twice gives ; because , . Therefore with constant null and . This entire affine line remains on the hyperboloid, so every null geodesic extends through every finite affine parameter; in particular all future null geodesics are complete.
Fix and set . This is a smooth embedded equatorial with positive induced metric and is compact by [F1], [F8]. Its future null normals and satisfy , , and , so they are normalized future null normals by [F7].
By [F6] and [F9], the assumed Axiom of Choice supplies Countable Choice and Dependent Choice, so the existence of makes globally hyperbolic.
Since and , [F2] and step 1.3 give , , , and . Thus on the regular spherical chart; both tensors are smooth on the global hyperboloid, so equality extends by continuity to the two poles. Consequently for every null vector.
The mixed Christoffel symbols in [F2] give and for every angular tangent vector . Thus at , and . Tracing in two dimensions gives . So is future trapped by [F3].
The spacetime is globally hyperbolic by step 2.1, has the compact trapped surface of step 2.3, satisfies the null Ricci condition by step 2.2, and is future null complete by step 1.4. By [F9] and the assumed AC, the choice hypotheses of [F10] also hold, so [F10] gives compactness of , consistently with the compact Cauchy slices in step 1.2.
By [F13], applied to the complete timelike product flow from step 1.1 and the compact slice from step 1.2, every smooth spacelike Cauchy hypersurface of is diffeomorphic to and hence compact. The model satisfies AC, global hyperbolicity, the compact trapped-surface, and null-Ricci hypotheses of [F11], but has no connected noncompact smooth spacelike Cauchy hypersurface. It is therefore outside the theorem’s scope while remaining future null complete; the noncompact-Cauchy condition cannot simply be omitted.
Depends on
The Axiom of Choice
AC implies DC implies countable choice
Euclidean spheres and closed balls as subspaces of
The round metric on the sphere as an induced metric
Heine-Borel in : with the Euclidean metric a subset of is compact if and only if it is closed and bounded, and the proof by bisection uses no choice principle; the same holds on the real line
A closed subspace of a compact space is compact, and a finite union of compact subspaces is compact
The warped product of a two-dimensional Lorentzian base with a round sphere: Christoffel symbols and Ricci tensor
Smooth time-oriented Lorentzian four-manifolds: the geometric objects of the model
Causal curves, chronological and causal reachability, and inextendibility
Spacelike hypersurfaces, acausal sets, Cauchy sets, domains of dependence and Cauchy horizons
Null normal pairs and screen geometry
Trapping and the asymptotic black-hole region
Future null geodesic completeness and incompleteness
A complete temporal flow identifies smooth Cauchy slices
Geodesic of an affine connection
Metric compatibility, torsion freedom and the metric-selected connection class
Existence and uniqueness of the metric-selected connection of a nondegenerate metric, and its extension to tensor fields
The existence of a Cauchy set implies strong causality and compact causal diamonds
Chart independence, concatenation, reparametrization and transitivity for causal curves
Compactness of the future horismos under null completeness
Penrose null geodesic incompleteness
Dependency tree · 2 levels
Sources
- Edward Witten, Light Rays, Singularities, and All That, Clay Mathematics Institute lecture notes, arXiv:1901.03928v6 (2023), §5.6 and its de Sitter exercises, latest v6 PDF (107 pages).
- José M. M. Senovilla and David Garfinkle, The 1965 Penrose singularity theorem, Classical and Quantum Gravity 32 (2015), 124008, arXiv:1410.5226v2, §§4.1–4.2.
- José Luis Jaramillo, Juan Antonio Valiente Kroon, and Éric Gourgoulhon, From Geometry to Numerics: Interdisciplinary Aspects in Mathematical and Numerical Relativity, arXiv:0712.2332v2 (2008), §§2.2 and 6.2.2, full 72-page PDF.