In mathematical physics, global hyperbolicity is a certain condition on the causal structure of a spacetime manifold (that is, a Lorentzian manifold). It is called hyperbolic in analogy with the linear theory of wave propagation, where the future state of a system is specified by initial conditions. (In turn, the leading symbol of the wave operator is that of a hyperboloid.) This is relevant to Albert Einstein 's theory of general relativity, and potentially to other metric gravitational theories.