Exact Space-Time Models of Gravitational Waves

Description

The book is about exact space-time models of the gravitational fields produced by gravitational radiation. The authors’ extensive work in the field is reviewed in order to stimulate the study of such models, that have been known for a long time, and to highlight interesting physical aspects of the existing models in some novel detail. There is an underlying simplicity to the gravitational radiation studied in this book. Apart from the basic assumption that the radiation has clearly identifiable wave fronts, the gravitational waves studied are directly analogous to electromagnetic waves. The book is meant for advanced students and researchers who have a knowledge of general relativity sufficient to carry out research in the field. Preface Contents 1 Introduction References 2 Plane Fronted Gravity Waves References 3 Plane Fronted Electromagnetic Waves References 4 `Spherical' Gravity Waves References 5 Plane Fronted Limit of `Spherical' Waves References 6 Plane Fronted Waves with a Cosmological Constant References 7 Gravity Wave Perturbations in Cosmology References 8 Exact Gravity Waves in Cosmology References Appendix A Intersections of script upper H 3 Superscript pluscalH+3 with Hyperplanes Appendix B Equations Satisfied by Gauge Invariant Variables References Index