The Finsler spacetime framework: backgrounds for physics beyond metric geometry
Year: 2022
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The fundamental structure on which physics is described is the geometric spacetime back- ground provided by a four dimensional manifold equipped with a Lorentzian metric. Most im- portantly the spacetime manifold does not only provide the stage for physical field theories but its geometry encodes causality, observers and their measurements and gravity simultaneously. This threefold role of the Lorentzian metric geometry of spacetime is one of the key insides of general relativity. During this thesis we extend the background geometry for physics from the metric framework of general relativity to our Finsler spacetime framework and ensure that the threefold role of the geometry of spacetime in physics is not changed. The geometry of Finsler spacetimes is determined by a function on the tangent bundle and includes metric geometry. In contrast to the standard formulation of Finsler geometry our Finsler spacetime framework overcomes the differentiability and existence problems of the geometric objects in earlier attempts to use Finsler geometry as an extension of Lorentzian metric geometry. The development of our non- metric geometric framework which encodes causality is one central achievement of this thesis. On the basis of our well-defined Finsler spacetime geometry we are able to derive dynamics for the non-metric Finslerian geometry of spacetime from an action principle, obtained from the Einstein–Hilbert action, for the first time. We can complete the dynamics to a non-metric description of gravity by coupling matter fields, also formulated via an action principle, to the geometry of our Finsler spacetimes. We prove that the combined dynamics of the fields and the geometry are consistent with general relativity. Furthermore we demonstrate how to define observers and their measurements solely through the non-metric spacetime geometry. Physi- cal consequence derived on the basis of our Finsler spacetime are: a possible solution to the fly-by anomaly in the solar system; the possible dependence of the speed of light on the relative motion between the observer and the light ray; modified dispersion relation and possible propa- gation of particle modes faster than light and the propagation of light on Finsler null-geodesics. Our Finsler spacetime framework is the first extension of the framework of general rela- tivity based on non-metric Finslerian geometry which provides causality, observers and their measurements and gravity from a Finsler geometric spacetime structure and yields a viable background on which action based physical field theories can be defined
Author: Pfeifer, Christian
Language: English
Subfield: Geometry and Topology
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2241231435