Collision of plane gravitational and electromagnetic waves in a Minkowski background: solution of the characteristic initial value problem

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dc.creatorAlekseev, G. A.
dc.creatorGriffiths, J. B.
dc.date2004-10-11
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T10:48:16Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T10:48:16Z
dc.descriptionWe consider the collisions of plane gravitational and electromagnetic waves with distinct wavefronts and of arbitrary polarizations in a Minkowski background. We first present a new, completely geometric formulation of the characteristic initial value problem for solutions in the wave interaction region for which initial data are those associated with the approaching waves. We present also a general approach to the solution of this problem which enables us in principle to construct solutions in terms of the specified initial data. This is achieved by re-formulating the nonlinear dynamical equations for waves in terms of an associated linear problem on the spectral plane. A system of linear integral ``evolution'' equations which solve this spectral problem for specified initial data is constructed. It is then demonstrated explicitly how various colliding plane wave space-times can be constructed from given characteristic initial data.
dc.description33 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX. Accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravity
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0410047
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0410047
dc.identifierClass.Quant.Grav.21:5623-5654,2004
dc.identifierdoi:10.1088/0264-9381/21/23/021
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/183818
dc.subjectGeneral Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
dc.subjectHigh Energy Physics - Theory
dc.subjectExactly Solvable and Integrable Systems
dc.titleCollision of plane gravitational and electromagnetic waves in a Minkowski background: solution of the characteristic initial value problem
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