Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Scientific paper
1992-12-03
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
11 pages, LaTeX
Scientific paper
10.1007/BF00758828
We review recent developments in differential topology with special concern for their possible significance to physical theories, especially general relativity. In particular we are concerned here with the discovery of the existence of non-standard (``fake'' or ``exotic'') differentiable structures on topologically simple manifolds such as $S^7$, \R and $S^3\times {\bf R^1}.$ Because of the technical difficulties involved in the smooth case, we begin with an easily understood toy example looking at the role which the choice of complex structures plays in the formulation of two-dimensional vacuum electrostatics. We then briefly review the mathematical formalisms involved with differentiable structures on topological manifolds, diffeomorphisms and their significance for physics. We summarize the important work of Milnor, Freedman, Donaldson, and others in developing exotic differentiable structures on well known topological manifolds. Finally, we discuss some of the geometric implications of these results and propose some conjectures on possible physical implications of these new manifolds which have never before been considered as physical models.
Brans Carl H.
Randall Duane
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