Homogeneity and plane-wave limits

Abstract

We explore the plane-wave limit of homogeneous spacetimes. For plane-wave limits along homogeneous geodesics the limit is known to be homogeneous and we exhibit the limiting metric in terms of Lie algebraic data. This simplifies many calculations and we illustrate this with several examples. We also investigate the behaviour of (reductive) homogeneous structures under the plane-wave limit.

In memory of Stanley Hobert, 33 pages. Minor corrections and some simplification of Section 4.3.1