Area Regge calculus and discontinuous metrics. (English) Zbl 1078.83009
Summary: Taking the triangle areas as independent variables in the theory of Regge calculus can lead to ambiguities in the edge lengths, which can be interpreted as discontinuities in the metric. We construct solutions to area Regge calculus using a triangulated lattice and find that on a spacelike or timelike hypersurface no such discontinuity can arise. On a null hypersurface however, we can have such a situation and the resulting metric can be interpreted as a so-called refractive wave.
MSC:
83C27 | Lattice gravity, Regge calculus and other discrete methods in general relativity and gravitational theory |