Raychaudhuri equation in space-times with torsion and its implications in singularities formation
Presenting author: Paulo Luz
Given a space-time with non-vanishing torsion, we discuss the equation for the evolution of the separation vector between infinitesimally close curves in a congruence. We show that the presence of a torsion field leads in general to tangent and orthogonal effects to the congruence; in particular, the presence of a completely generic torsion field contributes to a relative acceleration between test particles. We derive, for the first time in the literature, the Raychaudhuri equation for a congruence of time-like and null curves in a N-dimensional space-time with the most generic torsion field. Finally we show how the result can be used to study how spin may avoid gravitational singularities.