Spinning bodies in curved space-time

Understand

We study the motion of neutral and charged spinning bodies in curved space-time in the test-particle limit.

• We construct equations of motion using a closed covariant Poisson-Dirac bracket formulation which allows for different choices of the hamiltonian.
• We derive conditions for the existence of constants of motion and apply the formalism to the case of spherically symmetric space-times.
• We show that the periastron of a spinning body in a stable orbit in a Schwarzschild or Reissner-Nordstr{\o}m background not only precesses, but also varies radially.