Colliding almost-plane gravitational waves: Colliding plane waves and general properties of almost-plane-wave spacetimes

Journal Article · Sun May 15 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.37.2803· OSTI ID:5154368

Yurtsever, U

It is well known that when two precisely plane-symmetric gravitational waves propagating in an otherwise flat background collide, they focus each other so strongly as to produce a curvature singularity. This paper is the first of several devoted to almost-plane gravitational waves and their collisions. Such waves are more realistic than plane waves in having a finite but very large transverse size. In this paper we review some crucial features of the well-known exact solutions for colliding plane waves and we argue that one of these features, the breakdown of ''local inextendibility'' can be regarded as nongeneric. We then introduce a new framework for analyzing general colliding plane-wave spacetimes; we give an alternative proof of a theorem due to Tipler implying the existence of singularities in all generic colliding plane-wave solutions; and we discuss the fact that the recently constructed Chandrasekhar-Xanthopoulos colliding plane-wave solutions are not strictly plane symmetric and thus do not satisfy the conditions and the conclusion of Tipler's theorem.

• Research Organization: Theoretical Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
• OSTI ID: 5154368
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 37:10; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

657003* -- Theoretical & Mathematical Physics-- Relativity & Gravitation
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COLLISIONS
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
SINGULARITY
SPACE-TIME
WAVE PROPAGATION