A note on classification of Kantowski–Sachs and Bianchi type III solutions in f(T) gravity via conformal vector fields

Abstract

Conformal symmetries act as a source to investigate and classify exact solutions of the Einstein field equations (EFEs) via conformal vector fields (CVFs). It is well known that such classification leads to an important class of symmetries known as Killing symmetry which is the source of generating conservation laws of physics. In this paper, first we explore various classes of Kantowski–Sachs (KS) and Bianchi type III solutions in [Formula: see text] gravity by adopting some algebraic techniques. Utilizing the above-mentioned technique, we come to know that there exist 30 cases where the KS and Bianchi type III space-times admit solutions in [Formula: see text] gravity. Inspecting all the classes precisely, we familiarize that 25 solutions formulate non-conformally flat metrics whereas rest of the five solutions tend to formulate conformally flat metrics. We utilize the resulting solutions in finding the CVFs via direct integration approach. After a detailed study, we found that in two cases, the space-times admit proper CVFs, whereas in rest of the cases, the space-times either become conformally flat or it admit homothetic vector fields (HVFs) or Killing vector fields (KVFs). The overall dimension of CVFs for the space-times under consideration has turned out to be four, five, six or fifteen.