| dc.contributor.author | Harriott, Tina A. | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-10-21T12:38:29Z | |
| dc.date.available | 1991 | |
| dc.date.issued | 1991 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.other | AAINN71532 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10222/55280 | |
| dc.description | This thesis is a study of kinks in general relativity. The kink spacetimes are topologically non-trivial and possess other interesting features such as tumbling light cones and a non-zero conserved quantity, now called the kink number. | en_US |
| dc.description | Skyrme first noted the existence of kinks in certain non-linear scalar field theories. Finkelstein and Misner were the first to recognize the existence of similar structures in general relativity. This thesis begins with a review of past work on kinks. | en_US |
| dc.description | The general form of a kink metric is discussed and a formula to calculate the kink number of any metric is derived. | en_US |
| dc.description | Several exact kink solutions of the Einstein field equations are found. The relationship of these solutions to well known (zero kink) metrics, such as the de Sitter and Friedmann-LeMaitre-Robertson-Walker metrics is discussed. Possible interpretations of the kink solutions are suggested. Analogous solutions in a (1 + 1)-dimensional theory of gravity are also presented. Finally, work in progress and areas for future work are mentioned. | en_US |
| dc.description | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dalhousie University (Canada), 1991. | en_US |
| dc.language | eng | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Dalhousie University | en_US |
| dc.publisher | | en_US |
| dc.subject | Physics, General. | en_US |
| dc.title | Kinks in general relativity. | en_US |
| dc.type | text | en_US |
| dc.contributor.degree | Ph.D. | en_US |
