English

Connecting solutions of the Lorentz force equation do exist

Mathematical Physics 2009-11-11 v1 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Differential Geometry math.MP

Abstract

Recent results on the maximization of the charged-particle action I in a globally hyperbolic spacetime are discussed and generalized. We focus on the maximization of I over a given causal homotopy class C of curves connecting two causally related events x_0 <= x_1. Action I is proved to admit a maximum on C, and also one in the adherence of each timelike homotopy class. Moreover, the maximum on C is timelike if C contains a timelike curve (and the degree of differentiability of all the elements is at least C^2). In particular, this last result yields a complete Avez-Seifert type solution to the problem of connectedness through trajectories of charged particles in a globally hyperbolic spacetime endowed with an exact electromagnetic field: fixed any charge-to-mass ratio q/m, any two chronologically related events x_0 << x_1 can be connected by means of a timelike solution of the Lorentz force equation (LFE) corresponding to q/m. The accuracy of the approach is stressed by many examples, including an explicit counterexample (valid for all q/m) in the non-exact case. As a relevant previous step, new properties of the causal path space, causal homotopy classes and cut points on lightlike geodesics are studied.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.math-ph/0505014,
  title  = {Connecting solutions of the Lorentz force equation do exist},
  author = {E. Minguzzi and M. Sanchez},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math-ph/0505014},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

24 pages, no figures