On Killing vector fields and Newman-Penrose constants

Abstract

Asymptotically flat spacetimes with one Killing vector field are considered. The Killing equations are solved asymptotically using polyhomogeneous expansions (i.e. series in powers of 1/r an ln r), and solved order by order. The solution to the leading terms of these expansions yield the asymptotic form of the Killing vector field. The possible classes of Killing fields are discussed by analysing their orbits on null infinity. The integrability conditions of the Killing equations are used to obtain constraints on the components of the Weyl tensor (Ψ_0, Ψ_1, Ψ_2) and on the shear (σ). The behaviour of the solutions to the constraint equations is studied. It is shown that for Killing fields that are non-supertranslational the characteristics of the constraint equations are the orbits of the restriction of the Killing field to null infinity. As an application, boost-rotation symmetric spacetimes are considered. The constraints on Ψ_0 are used to study the behaviour of the coefficients that give rise to the Newman-Penrose constants, if the spacetime is non-polyhomogeneous, or the logarithmic Newman-Penrose constants if the spacetime is polyhomogeneous.