Toward an invariant definition of repulsive gravity

Abstract

A remarkable property of naked singularities in general relativity is their repulsive nature. The effects generated by repulsive gravity are usually investigated by analyzing the trajectories of test particles which move in the effective potential of a naked singularity. This method is, however, coordinate and observer dependent. We propose to use the properties of the Riemann tensor in order to establish in an invariant manner the regions where repulsive gravity plays a dominant role. In particular, we show that in the case of the Kerr-Newman singularity and its special subcases the method delivers plausible results.