Non-linear Plane Gravitational Waves as Space-time Defects

Abstract

We consider non-linear plane gravitational waves as propagating space-time defects, and construct the Burgers vector of the waves. In the context of classical continuum systems, the Burgers vector is a measure of the deformation of the medium, and at a microscopic (atomic) scale, it is a naturally quantized object. One purpose of the present article is ultimately to probe an alternative way on how to quantize plane gravitational waves.

18 pages, 5 figures, published in the Eur. Phys. J. C

References in corpus (3)

• The teleparallel equivalent of general relativity
• Gyratonic pp-waves and their impulsive limit
• Apparent horizon formation in the head-on collision of gyratons