Higher-dimensional Kundt waves and gyratons

Pavel Krtouš, Jiří Podolský, Andrei Zelnikov, and Hedvika Kadlecová
Phys. Rev. D 86, 044039 – Published 24 August 2012

Abstract

We present and analyze exact solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations in higher dimensions which form a large subclass of the Kundt family of spacetimes. We assume that the cosmological constant may be nonvanishing, and the matter consists of a background aligned electromagnetic field and an additional pure radiation (gyratonic) field with a spin. We show that the field equations reduce to a set of linear equations on the transverse space which can be solved exactly and expressed in terms of the Green functions. We thus find explicit exact gyratonic gravitational and electromagnetic fields created by a radiation beam of null matter with arbitrary profiles of energy density and angular momenta. In the absence of the gyratonic matter we obtain pure nonexpanding higher-dimensional gravitational waves. In particular, we investigate gyratons and waves propagating on backgrounds which are a direct product of two-spaces of constant curvature. Such type D or 0 background spacetimes generalize four-dimensional Nariai, anti-Nariai, and Plebański-Hacyan universes, and conformally flat Bertotti-Robinson and Minkowski spaces. These spacetimes belong to a wider class of spaces which admit the Kähler structure related to the background magnetic field. The obtained wave and gyraton solutions are also members of the recently discussed class of spacetimes with constant scalar invariants of the curvature tensor.

  • Received 13 January 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.86.044039

© 2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Pavel Krtouš1,*, Jiří Podolský1,†, Andrei Zelnikov2,‡, and Hedvika Kadlecová1,§

  • 1Institute of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic
  • 2Theoretical Physics Institute, Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1

  • *Pavel.Krtous@utf.mff.cuni.cz
  • podolsky@mbox.troja.mff.cuni.cz
  • zelnikov@ualberta.ca
  • §hedvika.kadlecova@centrum.cz

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Issue

Vol. 86, Iss. 4 — 15 August 2012

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