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On the energy-momentum density of gravitational plane waves

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>21/03/2004
<mark>Journal</mark>Classical and Quantum Gravity
Issue number6
Volume21
Number of pages6
Pages (from-to)1459-1464
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

By embedding Einstein's original formulation of general relativity into a broader context, we show that a dynamic covariant description of gravitational stress–energy emerges naturally from a variational principle. A tensor TG is constructed from a contraction of the Bel tensor with a symmetric covariant second degree tensor field Φ and has a form analogous to the stress–energy tensor of the Maxwell field in an arbitrary spacetime. For plane-fronted gravitational waves helicity-2 polarized (graviton) states can be identified carrying non-zero energy and momentum.