Gravitational perturbations of the Schwarzschild spacetime: A practical covariant and gauge-invariant formalism

Journal Article · Sun May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2005 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.71.104003· OSTI ID:20709267

Martel, Karl; Poisson, Eric ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 (Canada)

We present a formalism to study the metric perturbations of the Schwarzschild spacetime. The formalism is gauge invariant, and it is also covariant under two-dimensional coordinate transformations that leave the angular coordinates unchanged. The formalism is applied to the typical problem of calculating the gravitational waves produced by material sources moving in the Schwarzschild spacetime. We examine the radiation escaping to future null infinity as well as the radiation crossing the event horizon. The waveforms, the energy radiated, and the angular-momentum radiated can all be expressed in terms of two gauge-invariant scalar functions that satisfy one-dimensional wave equations. The first is the Zerilli-Moncrief function, which satisfies the Zerilli equation, and which represents the even-parity sector of the perturbation. The second is the Cunningham-Price-Moncrief function, which satisfies the Regge-Wheeler equation, and which represents the odd-parity sector of the perturbation. The covariant forms of these wave equations are presented here, complete with covariant source terms that are derived from the stress-energy tensor of the matter responsible for the perturbation.

• OSTI ID: 20709267
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 71; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
DISTURBANCES
GAUGE INVARIANCE
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
PARITY
SCALARS
SOURCE TERMS
SPACE-TIME
STRESSES
TENSORS
TRANSFORMATIONS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WAVE EQUATIONS
WAVE FORMS