Plane Fronted Limit of Spherical Electromagnetic and Gravitational Waves


Abstract in English

We demonstrate how plane fronted waves with colliding wave fronts are the asymptotic limit of spherical electromagnetic and gravitational waves. In the case of the electromagnetic waves we utilize Batemans representation of radiative solutions of Maxwells vacuum field equations. The gravitational case involves a novel form of the radiative Robinson--Trautman solutions of Einsteins vacuum field equations.

Download