Conformal symmetries of the energy-momentum tensor of spherically symmetric static spacetimes

Abstract

Conformal matter collineations of the energy-momentum tensor for a general spherically symmetric static spacetime are studied. The general form of these collineations is found when the energy-momentum tensor is non-degenerate, and the maximum number of independent conformal matter collineations is \emph{fifteen}. In the degenerate case of the energy-momentum tensor it is found that these collineations have infinite degrees of freedom. In some subcases of degenerate energy-momentum, the Ricci tensor is non-degenerate, that is, there exist non-degenerate Ricci inheritance collineations.