Weyl compatible tensors

Abstract

We introduce the new algebraic property of Weyl compatibility for symmetric tensors and vectors. It is strictly related to Riemann compatibility, which generalizes the Codazzi condition while preserving much of its geometric implications. In particular it is shown that the existence of a Weyl compatible vector implies the Weyl tensor to be algebraically special, and it is a necessary and sufficient condition for the magnetic part to vanish. Some theorems (Derdzinski and Shen, Hall) are extended to the broader hypothesis of Weyl or Riemann compatibility. Weyl compatibility includes conditions that were investigated in the literature of general relativity (as McIntosh et al.). Hypersurfaces of pseudo Euclidean spaces provide a simple example of Weyl compatible Ricci tensor.