Gravitational radiation in a nonsymmetric gravitational theory

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6093494

Krisher, T P

The author analyzes the properties of gravitational radiation in a nonsymmetric gravitational theory (NGT) proposed by Moffat that is based on a nonsymmetric metric and affine connection. A generalized formalism is developed for determining the physically observable polarization modes of weak, plane gravitational waves in nonsymmetric theories of gravitation. For the case of NGT, it was found that a Lorentz-invariant description of gravitational waves is possible if a transposition-invariant definition of measurable geodesic deviation is adopted for the theory. Generation of gravitational radiation is analyzed, and it is shown that NGT predicts the emission of dipole gravitational radiation from a binary system. The source of the dipole radiation is a vector density S postulated to be proportional to the number density of fermion particles in the components of the system. This radiation is shown to result in a secular decrease in the orbital period of a binary system in addition to that predicted by general relativity. The author discusses how the theory might be constrained by observations of the binary pulsar PSR 1913 + 16 and the cataclysmic binary AM CVn.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ., Seattle (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6093494
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102 -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
657003* -- Theoretical & Mathematical Physics-- Relativity & Gravitation
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BINARY STARS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY
GRAVITATIONAL RADIATION
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
POLARIZATION
PULSARS
RADIATIONS
STARS