Beyond Scalar, Vector and Tensor Harmonics in Maximally Symmetric Three-Dimensional Spaces
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Beyond scalar, vector and tensor harmonics in maximally symmetric three-dimensional spaces Cyril Pitrou1, ∗ and Thiago S. Pereira2, y 1Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS UMR 7095, 98 bis Bd Arago, 75014 Paris, France. 2Departamento de F´ısica, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rod. Celso Garcia Cid, Km 380, 86057-970, Londrina, Paran´a,Brazil. (Dated: October 1, 2019) We present a comprehensive construction of scalar, vector and tensor harmonics on max- imally symmetric three-dimensional spaces. Our formalism relies on the introduction of spin-weighted spherical harmonics and a generalized helicity basis which, together, are ideal tools to decompose harmonics into their radial and angular dependencies. We provide a thorough and self-contained set of expressions and relations for these harmonics. Being gen- eral, our formalism also allows to build harmonics of higher tensor type by recursion among radial functions, and we collect the complete set of recursive relations which can be used. While the formalism is readily adapted to computation of CMB transfer functions, we also collect explicit forms of the radial harmonics which are needed for other cosmological ob- servables. Finally, we show that in curved spaces, normal modes cannot be factorized into a local angular dependence and a unit norm function encoding the orbital dependence of the harmonics, contrary to previous statements in the literature. 1. INTRODUCTION ables. Indeed, on cosmological scales, where lin- ear perturbation theory successfully accounts for the formation of structures, perturbation modes, Tensor harmonics are ubiquitous tools in that is the components in an expansion on tensor gravitational theories. Their applicability reach harmonics, evolve independently from one an- a wide spectrum of topics including black-hole other. This fact enormously simplifies the con- physics, gravitational waves, quantum-field the- struction of observables and the assessment of ory in curved spacetimes, and cosmology. In the their statistics. In particular, a decomposition particular context of cosmology, one is usually based on tensor harmonics is essential for the interested in the description of tensor harmonics computation of cosmic microwave background over maximally symmetric manifolds, since these (CMB) fluctuations around a maximally sym- are the spaces in better agreement with observa- metric (but possibly curved) space [5]. The nor- tions. In this work we revisit the construction mal modes which have been introduced in [6,7] of scalar, vector and tensor harmonics in sym- correspond to specific components of those of [5], metric three-dimensional spaces with particular and are consequently an equivalent presentation interest in { but not limited to { cosmological arXiv:1909.13687v1 [gr-qc] 30 Sep 2019 of them. An equivalent covariant formulation of applications. these normal modes is also presented in [8,9]. Scalar harmonics in symmetric spaces are In this article, we review the general con- well known among cosmologists [1], and they are struction of harmonics in maximally symmetric defined as a complete set of eigenfunctions of the three-dimensional spaces, along with the associ- Laplace-Beltrami operator. Vector- and tensor- ated normal modes, and show how they can be valued harmonics can be similarly defined, and systematically built by recursions. In doing so, their explicit forms were gathered in [2{4]. These we collect all explicit expressions of the normal objects are found nearly everywhere in cosmo- modes for scalar, vector and tensor harmonics. logical applications, specially in those related Throughout, we choose to use a modern formu- to large-scale structure and its related observ- lation based on spin-weighted spherical harmon- ics from which even and odd parts and also the ∗[email protected] general structure is more tractable. Hence, this [email protected] differs from the formulations given in [10, 11]. 2 Section 2.1 is dedicated to definitions and no- K 6= 0 we can further use units for which `c = 1, tation. In particular, we define the harmonics, that is, all lengths are expressed in units of the the helicity basis, the normal modes and the ra- curvature radius and, in the closed case, this im- dial functions of which many properties are col- plies 0 ≤ χ ≤ π. The general case `c 6= 1 can lected in the appendices. Section3 is dedicated be trivially restored from dimensional analysis if to the general construction of these radial func- needed. To emphasize our special choice of units, tions which characterize fully the harmonics and let us introduce a reduced curvature parameter most relations are collected in AppendixD. The 2 reader interested only in the actual expression K ≡ K`c = K=jKj (2.3) of the harmonics can jump directly to Section4 where the explicit expressions of the radial func- which assumes the value +1 (−1) in the closed tions are collected, or to AppendixF if inter- (open) case. ested in the flat case only. The normalization of The Riemann tensor of maximally symmetric harmonics is discussed in Section5, while plane spaces can be written directly in terms of the waves are built in Section6. The formalism is il- space metric and the constant K: lustrated in Section7 for the standard multipole R = K(g g − g g ) : (2.4) expansion of the CMB radiative transfer func- ijkl ik jl il jk tions. Finally the comparison of our results with This greatly simplifies identities involving com- previous references is detailed in AppendixG. mutators of covariant derivatives. One identity The tables of AppendixH gather the most im- that we shall need is portant ancillary notation used throughout. [∆; rk1 · · · rkn ]Ti1:::ij = 2K [n(n + 1)=2 + nj] 2. DEFINITIONS × rk1 · · · rkn Ti1:::ij (2.5) 2.1. Maximally symmetric spaces where ri is the covariant derivative associated We start be recalling some basic properties of with the metric (2.1) (i.e., rkgij = 0) and ∆ = j maximally symmetric spaces. A nice and physi- r rj is the Laplace-Beltrami operator. In what cist targeted introduction can be found in [12]. follows we shall adopt the unifying notation sin, Maximally symmetric spaces (as opposed to tan and cot for trigonometric functions, defined spacetime) are uniquely fixed by a real parame- as the usual functions when K > 0, and as their ter K, known as constant of curvature. In three hyperbolic counterparts when K < 0. dimensions, and using standard spherical coor- dinates (χ, θ; φ), the metrics of these spaces read 2.2. Helicity basis g dxidxj = dχ2 + r2(χ)[dθ2 + sin2 θdφ2] : (2.1) ij The notion of helicity (or spin) basis is more The radial coordinate χ is implicitly defined by conveniently introduced in terms of an orthonor- the function r(χ), which assumes different values mal triad of basis vectors according to the sign of the parameter K: nχ = @χ ; (2.6a) 8 ` sinh(χ/` ) ; (K < 0) ; n = r−1(χ)@ ; (2.6b) <> c c θ θ −1 r(χ) = `c sin(χ/`c) ; (K > 0) ; (2.2) nφ = r (χ) csc(θ)@φ ; (2.6c) :>χ ; (K = 0) : together with its dual basis Here, ` ≡ 1=pjKj is the curvature radius, c nχ = dχ ; (2.7a) which is related to the Ricci scalar by R = 6K. θ Clearly, K distinguishes between open (K < 0), n = r(χ)dθ ; (2.7b) closed (K > 0) and flat (K = 0) spaces. When nφ = r(χ) sin(θ)dφ : (2.7c) 3 From this we can form the standard helicity vec- with s = 0. Up to normalisation differences, it tor (spin 1) basis as corresponds to the Legendre tensors introduced in [14] for the cases s = 0; 2. The explicit ex- 1 n± ≡ p (nθ ∓ inφ) ; pressions for j ≤ 3, and a collection of properties 2 (2.8) (which extends those already found in Appendix 1 n± ≡ p nθ ∓ inφ : A of Ref. [15] for the case s = 0), are given in 2 AppendixC. The set of ^ns with jsj ≤ j form a Ij basis for STF tensors with j free indices at each Given a unit vector n at the origin (χ = 0), the point. Their normalization, used for extraction pair (χ, n) denotes a point reached following a of components along that basis, is given by geodesic of length χ whose tangential direction at the origin is n. It is also obvious from the ±s Ij n^ n^ 0 = δss0 djs (2.12) spherical symmetry that the tangential vector of Ij ∓s the geodesic at that point is nχ. Hence it is cus- where tomary to use the symbol n for both nχ and its χ j! 1 dual n . The helicity basis vectors n± also de- djs ≡ 2 ; (2j − 1)!! (bjs) pend on the point (χ, n) considered, but they are s (2.13) parallel transported along a radial curve, that is p jsj (j!)2 b ≡ 2 : js (j + s)!(j − s)! k ± n rkni = 0 : (2.9) Thus, since they depend essentially only on the 2.3. Decomposition of tensor fields direction n, it is customary not to write this dependence explicitly. Any STF tensor field in a maximally sym- We now use the vector basis (2.8) to build metric (three-dimensional) space can be decom- a suitable tensor basis (spin s) for symmetric posed onto the generalized helicity basis using trace-free (STF) tensors. For 0 ≤ jsj ≤ j, we spin-weighted spherical harmonics. This decom- define position can be understood in two steps. At each ±s ± ± point the helicity basis is a basis for STF tensors n^ ≡ n : : : n ni : : : ni i ; (2.10) i1:::ij hi1 is s+1 j at that point, hence we can decompose the STF with a similar definition when free indices are tensor field as up. The angle brackets mean that we must form j X s the symmetric trace-free part on the enclosed TIj (χ, n) = sT (χ, n)^nIj : (2.14) indices, and this is performed in practice with s=−j (C.1).