Aspects of the Einstein-Maxwell-Weyl coupling

Abstract

Interesting phenomena and problems arising from the coupling of large-scale electromagnetic fields and spacetime curvature, are introduced and studied within this thesis. From electromagnetic wave propagation in curved spacetime to envisaging a gravito-electromagnetic equivalence on large scales; from magnetic fields' cosmic evolution, and magnetised gravitational collapse in astrophysical environments, to the interaction between electromagnetic and gravitational radiation; the present research work explores some unique characteristics and properties of the gravito-electromagnetic coexistence. Its theoretical framework is generally provided by classical (Maxwellian) electrodynamics in the (4-dimensional) Riemannian spacetime of General Relativity. Chapter 1, dealing with the perspective of a gravito-electromagnetic equivalence in a metric affine geometry (involving torsion and non-metricity), forms an exception to the aforementioned general framework. Regarding its structure, the manuscript consists of four chapters divided in two parts. The first two chapters (forming Part I) are concerned with the Maxwell field in curved, Riemannian (Chapter 2) and (generalised) metric affine (Chapter 2), spacetime framework. Aspects of the Weyl-Maxwell coupling (where the Weyl field refers to long-range curvature) are also included in Chapter 2. The last two chapters (forming Part II) treat magnetohydrodynamics in the general relativistic framework.