Particle motion in a rotating dust spacetime

We investigate the geometrical properties, spectral classification, geodesics, and causal structure of Bonnor's spacetime [W. B. Bonnor, A rotating dust cloud in general relativity, J. Phys. A 10, 1673 (1977)], i.e., a stationary axisymmetric solution with a rotating dust as a source. This spacetime has a directional singularity at the origin of the coordinates (related to the diverging vorticity field of the fluid there), which is surrounded by a toroidal region where closed timelike curves (CTCs) are allowed, leading to chronology violations. We use the effective potential approach to provide a classification of the different kind of geodesic orbits on the symmetry plane as well as to study the helical-like motion around the symmetry axis on a cylinder with constant radius. In the former case we find that, as a general feature for positive values of the angular momentum, test particles released from a fixed space point and directed toward the singularity are repelled and scattered back as soon as they approach the CTC boundary, without reaching the central singularity. In contrast, for negative values of the angular momentum there exist conditions in the parameter space for which particles are allowed to enter the pathological region. Finally, as a more realistic mechanism, we study accelerated orbits undergoing friction forces due to the interaction with the background fluid, which may also act in order to prevent particles from approaching the CTC region.