Geodesic deviation in pp-wave spacetimes of quadratic curvature gravity
Abstract
We write the equation of geodesic deviations in the spacetime of pp waves in terms of the Newman-Penrose scalars and apply it to study gravitational waves in quadratic curvature gravity. We show that quadratic curvature gravity pp waves can have a transverse helicity-0 polarization mode and two transverse helicity-2 general-relativity-like wave polarizations. A concrete example is given in which we analyze the wave polarizations of an exact impulsive gravitational wave solution to quadratic curvature gravity.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review D
- Pub Date:
- December 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.68.124013
- arXiv:
- arXiv:gr-qc/0309128
- Bibcode:
- 2003PhRvD..68l4013D
- Keywords:
-
- 04.50.+h;
- 04.20.Jb;
- 04.30.-w;
- Gravity in more than four dimensions Kaluza-Klein theory unified field theories;
- alternative theories of gravity;
- Exact solutions;
- Gravitational waves: theory;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
- E-Print:
- 16 pages, no figures, accepted in Physical Review D