No Arabic abstract
Ehlers-Kundt conjecture is a physical assertion about the fundamental role of plane waves for the description of gravitational waves. Mathematically, it becomes equivalent to a problem on the Euclidean plane ${mathbb R}^2$ with a very simple formulation in Classical Mechanics: given a non-necessarily autonomous potential $V(z,u)$, $(z,u)in {mathbb R}^2times {mathbb R}$, harmonic in $z$ (i.e. source-free), the trajectories of its associated dynamical system $ddot{z}(s)=- abla_z V(z(s),s)$ are complete (they live eternally) if and only if $V(z,u)$ is a polynomial in $z$ of degree at most $2$ (so that $V$ is a standard mathematical idealization of vacuum). Here, the conjecture is solved in the significative case that $V$ is bounded polynomially in $z$ for finite values of $uin {mathbb R}$. The mathematical and physical implications of this {em polynomial EK conjecture}, as well as the non-polynomial one, are discussed beyond their original scope.
We present the complete family of space-times with a non-expanding, shear-free, twist-free, geodesic principal null congruence (Kundt waves) that are of algebraic type III and for which the cosmological constant ($Lambda_c$) is non-zero. The possible presence of an aligned pure radiation field is also assumed. These space-times generalise the known vacuum solutions of type N with arbitrary $Lambda_c$ and type III with $Lambda_c=0$. It is shown that there are two, one and three distinct classes of solutions when $Lambda_c$ is respectively zero, positive and negative. The wave surfaces are plane, spherical or hyperboloidal in Minkowski, de Sitter or anti-de Sitter backgrounds respectively, and the structure of the family of wave surfaces in the background space-time is described. The weak singularities which occur in these space-times are interpreted in terms of envelopes of the wave surfaces.
A pseudo-Riemannian manifold is called CSI if all scalar polynomial invariants constructed from the curvature tensor and its covariant derivatives are constant. In the Lorentzian case, the CSI spacetimes have been studied extensively due to their application to gravity theories. It is conjectured that a CSI spacetime is either locally homogeneous or belongs to the subclass of degenerate Kundt metrics. Independent of this conjecture, any CSI spacetime can be related to a particular locally homogeneous degenerate Kundt metric sharing the same scalar polynomial curvature invariants. In this paper we will invariantly classify the entire subclass of locally homogeneous CSI Kundt spacetimes which are of alignment type {bf D} to all orders and show that any other CSI Kundt metric can be constructed from them.
According to General Relativity gravity is the result of the interaction between matter and space-time geometry. In this interaction space-time geometry itself is dynamical: it can store and transport energy and momentum in the form of gravitational waves. We give an introductory account of this phenomenon and discuss how the observation of gravitational waves may open up a fundamentally new window on the universe.
This decade will see the first direct detections of gravitational waves by observatories such as Advanced LIGO and Virgo. Among the prime sources are coalescences of binary neutron stars and black holes, which are ideal probes of dynamical spacetime. This will herald a new era in the empirical study of gravitation. For the first time, we will have access to the genuinely strong-field dynamics, where low-energy imprints of quantum gravity may well show up. In addition, we will be able to search for effects which might only make their presence known at large distance scales, such as the ones that gravitational waves must traverse in going from source to observer. Finally, coalescing binaries can be used as cosmic distance markers, to study the large-scale structure and evolution of the Universe. With the advanced detector era fast approaching, concrete data analysis algorithms are being developed to look for deviations from general relativity in signals from coalescing binaries, taking into account the noisy detector output as well as the expectation that most sources will be near the threshold of detectability. Similarly, several practical methods have been proposed to use them for cosmology. We explain the state of the art, including the obstacles that still need to be overcome in order to make optimal use of the signals that will be detected. Although the emphasis will be on second-generation observatories, we will also discuss some of the science that could be done with future third-generation ground-based facilities such as Einstein Telescope, as well as with space-based detectors.
The energy content of cylindrical gravitational wave spacetimes is analyzed by considering two local descriptions of energy associated with the gravitational field, namely those based on the C-energy and the Bel-Robinson super-energy tensor. A Poynting-Robertson-like effect on the motion of massive test particles, beyond the geodesic approximation, is discussed, allowing them to interact with the background field through an external force which accounts for the exchange of energy and momentum between particles and waves. In addition, the relative strains exerted on a bunch of particles displaced orthogonally to the direction of propagation of the wave are examined, providing invariant information on spacetime curvature effects caused by the passage of the wave. The explicit examples of monochromatic waves with either a single or two polarization states as well as pulses of gravitational radiation are discussed.