Spacetime encodings. IV. The relationship between Weyl curvature and Killing tensors in stationary axisymmetric vacuum spacetimes

Abstract

The problem of obtaining an explicit representation for the fourth invariant of geodesic motion (generalized Carter constant) of an arbitrary stationary axisymmetric vacuum spacetime generated from an Ernst potential is considered. The coupling between the nonlocal curvature content of the spacetime as encoded in the Weyl tensor, and the existence of a Killing tensor is explored and a constructive, algebraic test for a fourth-order Killing tensor suggested. The approach used exploits the variables defined for the Bäcklund transformations to clarify the relationship between Weyl curvature, constants of geodesic motion, expressed as Killing tensors, and the solution-generation techniques. A new symmetric noncovariant formulation of the Killing equations is given. This formulation transforms the problem of looking for fourth-order Killing tensors in 4D into one of looking for four interlocking two-manifolds admitting fourth-order Killing tensors in 2D.

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