On Spaces with the Maximal Number of Conformal Killing Vectors

Abstract

It is natural to expect and simple to prove that every conformally flat space possess the maximal number of conformal Killing vector fields (CKVs). On the other hand, it is interesting to ask whether the converse is true. Is conformal flatness a necessary condition for the existence of the maximal number of CKVs? In this review article it is proven that the answer is yes, a space admits the maximal number of CKVs if, and only if, it is conformally flat.