skip to main content


Title: Gauge invariants of linearized gravity with a general background metric
Abstract In linearized gravity with distributed matter, the background metric has no generic symmetries, and decomposition of the metric perturbation into global normal modes is generally impractical. This complicates the identification of the gauge-invariant part of the perturbation, which is a concern, for example, in the theory of dispersive gravitational waves (GWs) whose energy–momentum must be gauge-invariant. Here, we propose how to identify the gauge-invariant part of the metric perturbation and the six independent gauge invariants per se for an arbitrary background metric. For the Minkowski background, the operator that projects the metric perturbation on the invariant subspace is proportional to the well-known dispersion operator of linear GWs in vacuum. For a general background, this operator is expressed in terms of the Green’s operator of the vacuum wave equation. If the background is smooth, it can be found asymptotically using the inverse scale of the background metric as a small parameter.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1903130
NSF-PAR ID:
10463934
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Classical and Quantum Gravity
Volume:
39
Issue:
24
ISSN:
0264-9381
Page Range / eLocation ID:
245003
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract

    Modeling the propagation of gravitational waves (GWs) in media other than vacuum is complicated by the gauge freedom of linearized gravity in that, once nonlinearities are taken into consideration, gauge artifacts can cause spurious acceleration of the matter. To eliminate these artifacts, we propose how to keep the theory of dispersive GWs gauge-invariant beyond the linear approximation and, in particular, obtain an unambiguous gauge-invariant expression for the energy--momentum of a GW in dispersive medium. Using analytic tools from plasma physics, we propose an exactly gauge-invariant ``quasilinear'' theory, in which GWs are governed by linear equations and also affect the background metric on scales large compared to their wavelength. As a corollary, the gauge-invariant geometrical optics of linear dispersive GWs in a general background is formulated. As an example, we show how the well-known properties of vacuum GWs are naturally and concisely yielded by our theory in a manifestly gauge-invariant form. We also show how the gauge invariance can be maintained within a given accuracy to an arbitrary order in the GW amplitude. These results are intended to form a physically meaningful framework for studying dispersive GWs in matter.

     
    more » « less
  2. A bstract In the context of holography, entanglement entropy can be studied either by i) extremal surfaces or ii) bit threads, i.e., divergenceless vector fields with a norm bound set by the Planck length. In this paper we develop a new method for metric reconstruction based on the latter approach and show the advantages over existing ones. We start by studying general linear perturbations around the vacuum state. Generic thread configurations turn out to encode the information about the metric in a highly nonlocal way, however, we show that for boundary regions with a local modular Hamiltonian there is always a canonical choice for the perturbed thread configurations that exploits bulk locality. To do so, we express the bit thread formalism in terms of differential forms so that it becomes manifestly background independent. We show that the Iyer-Wald formalism provides a natural candidate for a canonical local perturbation, which can be used to recast the problem of metric reconstruction in terms of the inversion of a particular linear differential operator. We examine in detail the inversion problem for the case of spherical regions and give explicit expressions for the inverse operator in this case. Going beyond linear order, we argue that the operator that must be inverted naturally increases in order. However, the inversion can be done recursively at different orders in the perturbation. Finally, we comment on an alternative way of reconstructing the metric non-perturbatively by phrasing the inversion problem as a particular optimization problem. 
    more » « less
  3. null (Ed.)
    A bstract We compute modular Hamiltonians for excited states obtained by perturbing the vacuum with a unitary operator. We use operator methods and work to first order in the strength of the perturbation. For the most part we divide space in half and focus on perturbations generated by integrating a local operator J over a null plane. Local operators with weight n ≥ 2 under vacuum modular flow produce an additional endpoint contribution to the modular Hamiltonian. Intuitively this is because operators with weight n ≥ 2 can move degrees of freedom from a region to its complement. The endpoint contribution is an integral of J over a null plane. We show this in detail for stress tensor perturbations in two dimensions, where the result can be verified by a conformal transformation, and for scalar perturbations in a CFT. This lets us conjecture a general form for the endpoint contribution that applies to any field theory divided into half-spaces. 
    more » « less
  4. Background: Aspiration is an important part of stroke thrombectomy (1). Pre-clinical studies have also suggested that uniform aspiration may need to be customized for varying vessel diameters and that cyclical (varying suction intensity) aspiration may be more effective (2). Methods: Suction intensity and duration are customized in an iPad app to create uniform aspiration (using the CLEAR TM App, Insera Therapeutics) or cyclical (using the CLEAR Pro TM App, Insera Therapeutics) aspiration. Customized aspiration initiated via the iPad app activates a Bluetooth-enabled smart pump (CLEAR Aspiration System TM, Insera Therapeutics) connected to a standard aspiration catheter with an inner diameter (ID) of 0.070" and length of 131 cm was studied. The suction intensity at the catheter tip is confirmed using a vacuum gauge (DuraChoice) and a previously defined technique (3), and any catheter luminal collapse is noted in an in-vitro flow model (United Biologics) simulating stroke thrombectomy. Results: Activating the smart pump to generate customized uniform and cyclical aspiration (suction range 0 to -29 in Hg) using an iPad app was successful. A vacuum gauge at the catheter tip confirmed the varying suction intensities generated by the smart pump without any catheter lumen collapse. Low, medium and high suction intensities of -13, -21, and -29 inHg on the digital smart pump resulted in a suction intensities at the catheter tip of -12.5, -20.5, and -28.5 inHg. Pause of 0 inHg on the digital smart pump resulted in similar intensity at catheter tip. There was similar transmission of suction intensities between the digital smart pump and the catheter tip for uniform and cyclical aspiration patterns. Conclusion: It is feasible to customize uniform and cyclical aspiration using a digital smart pump. Further studies need to evaluate the impact of customizing uniform and cyclical aspiration on varying vessel diameters, clot types, and clot burden. Funding Source: This study was funded in part by a research grant (NSF Award: 1819491; PI: Vallabh Janardhan, MD) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Conference Proceeding: This paper was presented in part at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Society of Vascular & Interventional Neurology (SVIN), November 14-17, 2018 in San Diego, CA 
    more » « less
  5. Purpose: Multiple studies suggest that addition of cervical balloon guide catheter (BGC) aspiration to intracranial suction aspiration or thrombectomy improves outcomes (1). Currently, stroke thrombectomy when performed with cervical BGC/Guide catheter (GC) aspiration requires two (2) operators. Utilizing an automated smart pump could enable a single (1) operator to perform BGC-assisted thrombectomy while varying the suction intensity in different segments of the intracranial and cervical vasculature. Methods: Phase 1: Staged BGC aspiration (initially low, medium, then high - to avoid vessel collapse) is manually performed using a 60cc syringe and a 9F BGC. The suction intensity levels for low, medium, and high (in inHg) are measured using a vacuum gauge (2). Phase 2: the Mean suction levels and duration from three sample measurements are entered into an iPad app (CLEARTM Pro, Insera Therapeutics, Inc.) to create a suction pattern. Phase 3: With a BGC positioned in an in-vitro flow model simulating stroke thrombectomy, the feasibility of automated staged BGC aspiration is assessed. The iPad app activates a bluetooth-enabled smart pump (CLEARTM Aspiration System, Insera Therapeutics, Inc.) connected to the BGC. Results: Phase 1 testing was performed. Low suction ranged from 10-13 inHg (Mean: 12 inHg) with a duration ranging from 11-17s (Mean: 13s), Medium suction ranged from 15-18 inHg (Mean: 16 inHg) with a duration ranging from 8-11s (Mean: 9s), High suction ranged from 24-26 inHg (Mean: 25 inHg) with a duration ranging from 19-25s (Mean: 22s), The total duration of staged BGC aspiration ranged from 39-53s with a 60s safety pause or end of suction prior to another retrieval attempt. Phases 2 & 3 were successfully performed to create a customized BGC pattern and staged BGC aspiration was automated during simulated stroke thrombectomy. Conclusions: Automated staged BGC or GC aspiration is feasible using a customizable iPad app and a bluetooth-enabled smart pump. Funding Source: This study was funded in part by a research grant (NSF Award: 1819491; PI: Vallabh Janardhan, MD) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Conference Proceeding: This paper was presented in part at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuro-Interventional Surgery (SNIS), July 23-26, 2018 in San Francisco, CA. 
    more » « less