# Zero mass limit of Kerr spacetime is a wormhole

Zero mass limit of Kerr spacetime is a wormhole We show that, contrary to what is usually claimed in the literature, the zero mass limit of Kerr spacetime is not flat Minkowski space but a spacetime whose geometry is only locally flat. This limiting spacetime, as the Kerr spacetime itself, contains two asymptotic regions and hence cannot be topologically trivial. It also contains a curvature singularity, because the power-law singularity of the Weyl tensor vanishes in the limit but there remains a distributional contribution of the Ricci tensor. This spacetime can be interpreted as a wormhole sourced by a negative tension ring. We also extend the discussion to similarly interpret the zero mass limit of the Kerr–(anti–)de Sitter spacetime. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Physical Review D American Physical Society (APS)

# Zero mass limit of Kerr spacetime is a wormhole

, Volume 96 (2) – Jul 15, 2017

## Zero mass limit of Kerr spacetime is a wormhole

Abstract

We show that, contrary to what is usually claimed in the literature, the zero mass limit of Kerr spacetime is not flat Minkowski space but a spacetime whose geometry is only locally flat. This limiting spacetime, as the Kerr spacetime itself, contains two asymptotic regions and hence cannot be topologically trivial. It also contains a curvature singularity, because the power-law singularity of the Weyl tensor vanishes in the limit but there remains a distributional contribution of the Ricci tensor. This spacetime can be interpreted as a wormhole sourced by a negative tension ring. We also extend the discussion to similarly interpret the zero mass limit of the Kerr–(anti–)de Sitter spacetime.

/lp/aps_physical/zero-mass-limit-of-kerr-spacetime-is-a-wormhole-P00zPFonZL
Publisher
The American Physical Society
ISSN
1550-7998
eISSN
1550-2368
D.O.I.
10.1103/PhysRevD.96.024053
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

### Abstract

We show that, contrary to what is usually claimed in the literature, the zero mass limit of Kerr spacetime is not flat Minkowski space but a spacetime whose geometry is only locally flat. This limiting spacetime, as the Kerr spacetime itself, contains two asymptotic regions and hence cannot be topologically trivial. It also contains a curvature singularity, because the power-law singularity of the Weyl tensor vanishes in the limit but there remains a distributional contribution of the Ricci tensor. This spacetime can be interpreted as a wormhole sourced by a negative tension ring. We also extend the discussion to similarly interpret the zero mass limit of the Kerr–(anti–)de Sitter spacetime.

### Journal

Physical Review DAmerican Physical Society (APS)

Published: Jul 15, 2017

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