English

Coordinate families for the Schwarzschild geometry based on radial timelike geodesics

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2015-06-17 v2

Abstract

We explore the connections between various coordinate systems associated with observers moving inwardly along radial geodesics in the Schwarzschild geometry. Painlev\'e-Gullstrand (PG) time is adapted to freely falling observers dropped from rest from infinity; Lake-Martel-Poisson (LMP) time coordinates are adapted to observers who start at infinity with non-zero initial inward velocity; Gautreau-Hoffmann (GH) time coordinates are adapted to observers dropped from rest from a finite distance from the black hole horizon. We construct from these an LMP family and a proper-time family of time coordinates, the intersection of which is PG time. We demonstrate that these coordinate families are distinct, but related, one-parameter generalizations of PG time, and show linkage to Lema\^itre coordinates as well.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1211.4337,
  title  = {Coordinate families for the Schwarzschild geometry based on radial timelike geodesics},
  author = {Tehani K. Finch},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1211.4337},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

13 pages and 10 figures. New title and abstract; expanded discussion on Gautreau-Hoffmann coordinates, and coordinate classifications; figures added; references added. Submitted for publication