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arXiv · 1901.07996

The future is not always open

Abstract

We demonstrate the breakdown of several fundamentals of Lorentzian causality theory in low regularity. Most notably, chronological futures (defined naturally using locally Lipschitz curves) may be non-open, and may differ from the corresponding sets defined via piecewise $C^1$-curves. By refining the notion of a causal bubble from [CG:12],we characterize spacetimes for which such phenomena can occur, and also relate these to the possibility of deforming causal curves of positive length into timelike curves (push-up). The phenomena described here are, in particular, relevant for recent synthetic approaches to low regularity Lorentzian geometry where, in the absence of a differentiable structure, causality has to be based on locally Lipschitz curves.

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James D. E. Grant, Michael Kunzinger, Clemens Sämann, Roland Steinbauer. 2019-09-09. The future is not always open. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11005-019-01213-8

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