Null hypersurface data and ambient vector fields: Killing horizons of order zero and one

In this work, we study null hypersurfaces admitting a privileged vector field $\ensuremath{\eta}$ which is null and tangent at the hypersurface. We derive an identity that relates the deformation tensor of $\ensuremath{\eta}$ with tensor fields codifying the intrinsic and extrinsic geometry of the hypersurface. This is done without imposing restrictions either on the topology of the hypersurface or on the (possibly empty) subset of points where $\ensuremath{\eta}$ vanishes. We introduce a generalized notion of surface gravity $\ensuremath{\kappa}$ that extends smoothly the usual one to the fixed points. We also analyze the properties of the Lie derivative of the Levi-Civita connection along $\ensuremath{\eta}$. This analysis allows us to introduce three new notions of abstractly defined horizons (i.e., not necessarily viewed as embedded submanifolds) that we then compare with the standard concepts of nonexpanding, weakly isolated and isolated horizons. The former generalize the latter to completely general topologies and to horizons admitting fixed points. Finally, we study the structure of the fixed points on these new horizons.