On Schwarzschild causality in higher dimensions

Abstract

We show that the causal properties of asymptotically flat spacetimes depend on their dimensionality: while the time-like future of any point in the past conformal infinity ${\mathcal{I}}^{-}$ contains the whole of the future conformal infinity ${\mathcal{I}}^{+}$ in $(2+1)$ and $(3+1)$ dimensional Schwarzschild spacetimes, this property (which we call the Penrose property) does not hold for $(d+1)$ dimensional Schwarzschild if $d>3$. We also show that the Penrose property holds for the Kerr solution in $(3+1)$ dimensions, and discuss the connection with scattering theory in the presence of positive mass.

34 pages, lots of figures. Final version, to appear in Classical and Quantum Gravity