https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2017-11309-0
Regular Article
Conformal vectors and stellar models
Astrophysics and Cosmology Research Unit, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, 4000, Durban, South Africa
* e-mail: maharaj@ukzn.ac.za
Received:
30
September
2016
Accepted:
19
December
2016
Published online:
6
February
2017
The relationship between conformal symmetries and relativistic spheres in astrophysics is studied. We use the nonvanishing components of the Weyl tensor to classify the conformal symmetries in static spherical spacetimes. It is possible to find an explicit connection between the two gravitational potentials for both conformally flat and nonconformally flat cases. We show that the conformal Killing vector admits time dependence in terms of quadratic, trigonometric and hyperbolic functions. The Einstein and Einstein-Maxwell field equations can be written in terms of a single potential, any choice of which leads to an exact solution. Previous results of conformally invariant static spheres are contained in our treatment.
© Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2017
