Photon rockets moving arbitrarily in any dimension

Abstract

A family of explicit exact solutions of Einstein's equations in four and higher dimensions is studied which describes photon rockets accelerating due to an anisotropic emission of photons. It is possible to prescribe an arbitrary motion, so that the acceleration of the rocket need not be uniform - both its magnitude and direction may vary with time. Except at location of the point-like rocket the spacetimes have no curvature singularities, and topological defects like cosmic strings are also absent. Any value of a cosmological constant is allowed. We investigate some particular examples of motion, namely a straight flight and a circular trajectory, and we derive the corresponding radiation patterns and the mass loss of the rockets. We also demonstrate the absence of "gravitational aberration" in such spacetimes. This interesting member of the higher-dimensional Robinson-Trautman class of pure radiation spacetimes of algebraic type D generalises the class of Kinnersley's solutions that has long been known in four-dimensional general relativity.

Text and figures modified (22 pages, 8 figures). To appear in the International Journal of Modern Physics D, Vol. 20, No.. 3

References in corpus (7)

• Robinson-Trautman spacetimes in higher dimensions
• Aberration and the Speed of Gravity
• Pure and gravitational radiation
• Photon rockets and gravitational radiation
• Photon rockets and the Robinson-Trautman geometries
• Photon rockets in (anti-)de Sitter universe
• Some Further Properties of the Accelerated Kerr-Schild Metrics

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Interpreting spacetimes of any dimension using geodesic deviation
• The global uniqueness and $C^1$-regularity of geodesics in expanding impulsive gravitational waves
• All solutions of Einstein's equations in 2+1 dimensions: $\Lambda$-vacuum, pure radiation, or gyratons
• Quasi-geodesics in relativistic gravity
• Sailing Towards the Stars Close to the Speed of Light
• Interstellar travels aboard radiation-powered rockets
• Could the real (not virtual) static observer exist outside a Schwarzschild black hole?
• Kerr Analogue of Kinnersley's Field of an Arbitrarily Accelerating Point Mass
• Robinson-Trautman spacetimes in (2+1) dimensions