Rehabilitating space-times with NUTs

Abstract

We revisit the Taub-NUT solution of the Einstein equations without time periodicity condition, showing that the Misner string is still fully transparent for geodesics. In this case, analytic continuation can be carried out through both horizons leading to a Hausdorff spacetime without a central singularity, and thus geodesically complete. Furthermore, we show that, in spite of the presence of a region containing closed time-like curves, there are no closed causal {\em geodesics}. Thus, some longstanding obstructions to accept the Taub-NUT solution as physically relevant are removed.