Newman-Penrose formalism and its application in the general theory of relativity

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978 · Sov. J. Particles Nucl. (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

OSTI ID:6327953

Alekseev, G A; Khlebnikov, V I

In this review, we give a systematic exposition of the Newman-Penrose formalism in the general theory of relativity and we use this formalism to describe some general properties of gravitational fields that are intimately related to the behavior of null curves and null surfaces in Riemannian space-time. Actual methods of integrating the complete system of Newman-Penrose equations are considered in detail for gravitational fields of some algebraically special types in the Petrov classification in vacuum and in radiation-filled space-time. A separate section is devoted to applications of the spin coefficient formalism to the description of the propagation of gravitational and electromagnetic waves of small amplitude in a given external gravitational field, in particular, in the field of a black hole.

• Research Organization: V. A. Steklov Mathematics Institute, USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow
• OSTI ID: 6327953
• Journal Information: Sov. J. Particles Nucl. (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Vol. 9:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
BLACK HOLES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
RIEMANN SPACE
SPINORS
TENSORS
FIELD THEORIES
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
RADIATIONS
SPACE
657003* - Theoretical & Mathematical Physics- Relativity & Gravitation