Kerr–Schild Tetrads and the Nijenhuis Tensor

Abstract

We write the Kerr–Schild tetrads in terms of the flat space–time tetrads and of a (1, 1) tensor Sμλ. This tensor can be considered as a projection operator, since it transforms (i) flat space–time tetrads into non-flat tetrads, and vice-versa, and (ii) the Minkowski space–time metric tensor into a non-flat metric tensor, and vice-versa. The Sμλ tensor and its inverse are constructed in terms of the standard null vector field lμ that defines the Kerr–Schild form of the metric tensor in general relativity, and that yields black holes and non-linear gravitational waves as solutions of the vacuum Einstein’s field equations. We demonstrate that the condition for the vanishing of the Ricci tensor obtained by Kerr and Schild, in empty space–time, is also a condition for the vanishing of the Nijenhuis tensor constructed out of Sμλ. Thus, a theory based on the Nijenhuis tensor yields an important class of solutions of the Einstein’s field equations, namely, black holes and non-linear gravitational waves. We also demonstrate that the present mathematical framework can easily admit modifications of the Newtonian potential that may explain the long range gravitational effects related to galaxy rotation curves.