Zero-mass plane waves in nonzero gravitational backgrounds. [Scattering cross sections]

Journal Article · Thu Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 1976 · Phys. Rev., D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.14.317· OSTI ID:7173264

Chrzanowski, P L; Matzner, R A; Sandberg, V D; Ryan, Jr, M P

The mathematical definition of what is intuitively called a ''plane wave'' on the curved background of a black hole is clarified and discussed from the viewpoints of potentials and fields. Because of the long-range Newtonian part of the gravitational field the asymptotic wave fronts of an incident ''plane wave'' (describing a radiative perturbation for a scattering experiment) are distorted in a manner analogous to the wave fronts of an electron beam in the quantum-mechanical Coulomb scattering problem. In addition, the electromagnetic and gravitational fields can be described with either a potential formalism (i.e., the vector potential and the metric perturbation) or a field formalism (i.e., the electromagnetic field tensor and the Riemann tensor). In this paper we present a distorted ''plane wave'' prescription, necessary for the calculation of the scattering cross sections of electromagnetic and gravitational waves off of a black hole, which agrees with the accepted prescription for a massless scalar field and satisfies the intuitive notions of what constitutes a ''plane wave'' in terms of potentials and fields. (AIP)

• Research Organization: Center for Relativity, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
• OSTI ID: 7173264
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev., D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev., D; (United States) Vol. 14:2; ISSN PRVDA
• 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
BLACK HOLES
CROSS SECTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
RADIATIONS
RIEMANN SPACE
SCATTERING
SPACE
TENSORS