Title

Spinning particles in a cosmological background

Date of Completion

January 2002

Keywords

Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

The motion of a spinning test particle in a cosmological background is analyzed. The equations of motion of a spinning test particle in the Kerr-de Sitter (KD) and the Vaidya-Mallett (VM) spacetimes are obtained using the methods of Papapetrou. The equations of motion in the VM spacetime were obtained using both the retarded time coordinates and the standard coordinates. Analyzing the spin equations in the retarded time coordinates, it was found that the constants of motion defined by Carmeli can equally be applied for a spinning test particle in the VM spacetime. In contrast to the previously known solutions, it was found that the magnitude of the spin of a spinning test particle in VM spacetime was generally not a constant of the motion. The equation of motion in the KD spacetime were obtained using the standard Demianski solution. There is an interesting coupling between the cosmological constant and the angular velocity of the spinning test particle and also between the cosmological constant and the angular velocity of the source mass. ^

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