Abstract

IHP, Paris, 20-24 November 2006

Juan A. Valiente-Kroon (Queen Mary, Univ. London, UK)

A view of spacetime near spatial infinity

Penrose proposed in the 60's a programme to study the graviational field of isolated bodies by means of a conformal compactification. For many years the question regarding the existence of spacetimes satisfying the asymptotic behaviour suggested by Penrose's approach remained open. With the time it became more and more clear that the punch line lies in understanding the behaviour of the spacetime near spatial infinity. In this talk I will describe how the necessary analysis of this region of spacetime can be carried by means of certain construction known as the "cylinder at spatial infinity". I will discuss which new insights have been gained using this perspective, and will point out the conjectures and open questions which remain to be solved.

[slides]

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