Scalar plane waves in general relativity

Wu, Chao

doi:10.1088/0305-4470/15/8/022

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…A natural question arises: is a scalar field φ with null gradient in a region of spacetime equivalent to an effective null dust? Special solutions with this property are known [14,25]. As expected, the answer is affirmative but only if φ is massless and there is no potential V (φ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Scalar field as a null dust

Faraoni

Côté

2019

Eur. Phys. J. C

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We show that a canonical, minimally coupled scalar field which is non-self interacting and massless is equivalent to a null dust fluid (whether it is a test or a gravitating field), in a spacetime region in which its gradient is null. Under similar conditions, the gravitating and nonminimally coupled Brans-Dicke-like scalar of scalar-tensor gravity, instead, cannot be represented as a null dust unless its gradient is also a Killing vector field.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Scalar field as a null dust

Faraoni

Côté

2019

Eur. Phys. J. C

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“…Solutions were also found in the past in which gravitational waves reflect from scalar waves while em waves do not reflect from scalar waves [15]. In particular we choose our initial data from the CH forming waves to see whether a nonsingular reflection process results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflection of electromagnetic waves from mixtures of plane gravitational and scalar waves

2006

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We consider colliding wave packets consisting of hybrid mixtures of electromagnetic, gravitational, and scalar waves. Irrespective of the scalar field, the electromagnetic wave still reflects from the gravitational wave. Some reflection processes are given for different choice of packets in which the Coulomb-like component 2 vanishes. Exact solution for multiple reflection of an electromagnetic wave from successive impulsive gravitational waves is obtained in a closed form. It is shown that a successive sign flip in the Maxwell spinor arises as a result of encountering with an impulsive train (i.e. the Dirac's comb curvature) of gravitational waves. Such an observable effect may be helpful in the detection of gravitational wave bursts.

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“…A null dust appears frequently in classical and quantum gravity, in Vaidya spacetimes [1,2], pp-waves [6][7][8], Robinson-Trautman geometries [9], twisting solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations [9][10][11], in studies of classical and quantum gravitational collapse, horizon formation, mass inflation [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], black hole evaporation [22][23][24], and canonical Hamiltonians [4,6,25]. Colliding scalar field-null dust solutions were studied in [26,27]. A null dust is interpreted as a coherent zero rest mass field that propagates at light speed in the null direction a , in the geometric optics limit.…”

Section: Null Dust and Vaidya's Spacetimementioning

confidence: 99%

Vaidya geometries and scalar fields with null gradients

2021

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Since, in Einstein gravity, a massless scalar field with lightlike gradient behaves as a null dust, one could expect that it can act as the matter source of Vaidya geometries. We show that this is impossible because the Klein–Gordon equation forces the null geodesic congruence tangent to the scalar field gradient to have zero expansion, contradicting a basic property of Vaidya solutions. By contrast, exact plane waves travelling at light speed and sourced by a scalar field acting as a null dust are possible.

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Scalar plane waves in general relativity

Cited by 14 publications

References 6 publications

Scalar field as a null dust

Scalar field as a null dust

Reflection of electromagnetic waves from mixtures of plane gravitational and scalar waves

Vaidya geometries and scalar fields with null gradients

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