Electromagnetic fields in Khan-Penrose spacetime

Journal Article · Sun Apr 15 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.41.2507· OSTI ID:6769652

Helliwell, T M ^[1]; Konkowski, D A ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California 91711 (USA)
2. Department of Mathematics, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD (USA)

The behavior of test electromagnetic waves on the Khan-Penrose colliding gravitational-wave spacetime is used to probe the nature of the quasiregular singularities present. It is argued that the divergence of stress-energy scalars for most wave modes makes these singularities unstable, converting them into scalar curvature singularities. However, a special subset of modes does not lead to divergence of stress-energy scalars at the singularities. In the presence of such modes the singularities should remain quasiregular in an exact back-reaction calculation, as confirmed in the colliding gravitational- and electromagnetic-wave spacetime of Chandrasekhar and Xanthopoulos.

• OSTI ID: 6769652
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA) Vol. 41:8; ISSN PRVDA; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
645400 -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
COSMOLOGY
EINSTEIN FIELD EQUATIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
EQUATIONS
FIELD EQUATIONS
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
SPACE-TIME
SYMMETRY
TENSOR FORCES
TESTING