On the impossibility of a box for holding gravitational radiation in thermal equilibrium

In a recent paper David Garfinkle and Robert Wald argue that it is possible to build a box which will confine and thermalize gravitational radiation. Using the results of their calculations I will show that the Garfinkle-Wald (GW) box will fail to isolate and thermalize gravitational radiation in a universe with external gravitational radiation. The absence of alocal equilibrium distribution of gravitational radiation in this model is further evidence that an operational interpretation of a quantum theory of gravity based on General Relativity and traditional matter couplings does not exist.     

Black-body radiation and thermal equilibrium in a static gravitational field

The black-body radiation law in the presence of a static gravitational field is obtained by extending the usual expression valid in a flat space-time region with the help of a purely mechanical argument. The result allows us to recover the dependence of the proper local temperature on position in such a field.     

Stability of thermal equilibrium for a radiating black hole in a box

The Hawking criterion for the stability of thermodynamical equilibrium between a Schwarzschild black hole and its own radiation is refined by the use of Page's expression for the renormalized stress-energy tensor.     

On gravitational radiation by a quantum bound system

A method based on the path integral approach is engaged to consider the gravitational emission from a quantum mechanical bound system in a locally inertial frame. In such a frame, interaction between the electromagnetic (bound potential) and gravitational fields can be neglected resulting in the less mathematical complexity. The final outcome is in agreement with the previous result for the radiation intensity of emitted gravitons due to decay of bound states in TT gauge.     

On the possibility of measuring the gravitational interaction of the neutron with a macroscopic body

The possibility of experimentally observing the gravitational interaction of the neutron with a macroscopic body is discussed. It is shown that the sensitivity of neutron-optics experiments may be one to two orders of magnitude higher than that which is necessary for observing the gravitational effect. Either the deflection of the neutron trajectory in the gravitational field of a heavy attractor or the gravitation-induced shift of the neutron-wave phase can be recorded experimentally.     

On the possibility of using lasers as detectors of gravitational waves

The possibility to use narrow optical resonances and highly stable lasers as detectors of gravitational waves are discussed. The methods for measuring small displacements are based on the registration of small variations of a radiation frequency that arise in changing an optical phase. First results on the use of narrow resonances for precision measurements of small displacements are given. The achieved absolute sensitivity of the measurements amounted to 6·10^?6 Å on the basis of 5·10² cm.     

On the gravitational radiation of an oblique rotator

The magnetic hydrodynamical model of an oblique rotator with arbitrary inclination angle is given. It is shown that in its gravitational radiation spectra there are the first and the second harmonics of the rotation frequency, the first being completely due to the newtonian stresses. Generation of the first harmonic is not accompanied by precession of the magnetic axis. Polarisation of gravitational radiation is also calculated for both harmonics.     

On the possibility of synchrotron radiation source modification

The possibility of reconstructing old-generation electron colliders for effective use as synchrotron radiation sources is discussed. Among other positive features related with using the wiggler in the accelerator, the possibility of using lateral petals of the radiation for the division of several experiments on one beam is estimated. An analysis of coherent effects for systems with a large undulator coefficient is presented.     

On the response of a gravitational radiation detector to magnetic field fluctuations

An attempt was made to measure the sensitivity of the Maryland gravitational radiation detector to fluctuating magnetic fields with frequencies of 0.1 to 30 Hertz. No response was found for fields along the cylinder axis and normal to it. For some of the tests, the weakest intensity to which any part of the cylinder was exposed exceeded 100 times the intensity of fluctuations of the earth's magnetic field at these frequencies.     

On gravitational radiation and the energy flux of matter

A suitable derivative of Einstein's equations in the framework of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity (TEGR) yields a continuity equation for the gravitational energy‐momentum. In particular, the time derivative of the total gravitational energy is given by the sum of the total fluxes of gravitational and matter fields energy. We carry out a detailed analysis of the continuity equation in the context of Bondi and Vaidya's metrics. In the former space‐time the flux of gravitational energy is given by the well known expression in terms of the square of the news function. It is known that the energy definition in the realm of the TEGR yields the ADM (Arnowitt‐Deser‐Misner) energy for appropriate boundary conditions. Here we show that the same energy definition also describes the Bondi energy. The analysis of the continuity equation in Vaidya's space‐time shows that the variation of the total gravitational energy is determined by the energy flux of matter only.     

On quadrupole and octupole gravitational radiation in the ANK formalism

Following the approach of Adamo–Newman–Kozameh (ANK) we derive the equations of motion for the center of mass and intrinsic angular moment for isolated sources of gravitational waves in axially symmetric spacetimes. The original ANK formulation is generalized so that the angular momentum coincides with the Komar integral for a rotational Killing symmetry. This is done using the Winicour–Tamburino Linkages which yields the mass dipole-angular momentum tensor for the isolated sources. The ANK formalism then provides a complex worldline in a fiducial flat space to define the notions of center of mass and spin. The equations of motion are derived and then used to analyse a very simple astrophysical process where only quadrupole and octupole contributions are included. The results are then compared with those coming from the post newtonian approximation.     

The possibility of negative gravitational energy

The status and physical importance of the question “Can the energy of gravitational fields be negative?” is discussed. To study this question further a particular model of a gravitational shock wave has been developed. The energy corresponding to this model is a scalar functional of the two-geometry of the shock front. Values of the energy for special choices of the shock front have been calculated. These cases all give rise to positive energy, the energy becoming more positive as the shock front becomes more curved. However, no general proof is known to show that the energy is positive for all choices of two-geometries.     

Enhanced polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation from thermal gravitational waves

If inflation was preceded by a radiation era, then at the time of inflation there will exist a decoupled thermal distribution of gravitons. Gravitational waves generated during inflation will be amplified by the process of stimulated emission into the existing thermal distribution of gravitons. Consequently, the usual zero temperature scale invariant tensor spectrum is modified by a temperature dependent factor. This thermal correction factor amplifies the B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation by an order of magnitude at large angles, which may now be in the range of observability of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe.     

On exact equilibrium states in external gravitational fields of heated,self-gravitating gas clouds cooling by conducting and radiation

We present exact analytic solutions describing the equilibrium states available to a one-dimensional, self-gravitating cloud of gas subject to an external constant gravitational acceleration due to a plane of “stars”. The gas is taken to be heated at a rate proportional to the local gas density and is cooling by both radiation and conduction. The solutions are valid for a thermal conductivity which is an arbitrary function of gas temperature, T, and for radiative cooling which is proportional to the local gas density, ?, multiplied by an arbitrary function of gas pressure, ?. Illustrations of the general spatial dependence are given for the cases where the radiative cooling is proportional to ?²T, and in which the thermal conductivity is either constant, or proportional to T^a(a > 0) in the limits of T tending zero or infinity, respectively.We show that the phenomenon of density “inversion”, reported earlier, is indeed ameliorated by the radiative cooling term, as we had speculated it might be, but is not removed. This indicates that the phenomenon of density inversion is of rugged quality, persisting under a wide variety of conditions and, therefore, of general astrophysical import. We also show that, depending on the ratios of various parameters entering the problem, there is a new phenomenon possible in which the gas temperature has a local minimum at some non-central location so that a wedge of cool gas is in equilibrium surrounded by a hot medium.We have done these calculations as an aid to understanding the complicated behavior of interstellar gas clouds in particular, and the general physical interplay between force balance and energy balance in models of gas clouds more realistic than those heretofore available.     

On the possibility of high-energy neutron diffraction in a crystal in the field of laser radiation

For the first time the high-energy neutrons scattering in a crystal is considered under the influence of an external laser wave field. The process is inelastic with respect to the laser wave and at the same time it is elastic with respect to a crystal. The possibility of high-energy neutron diffraction is illustrated—wavelength of neutrons is less than the lattice period. The method is based on the multiphoton interaction of the neutron anomalous magnetic moment with the field of laser radiation by using the Farri representation. The neutron-phonon interaction is considered to be a perturbation described by the Fermi pseudopotential.     

Hard thermal loops in a gravitational field

We calculate the high-temperature (T ⁴) limit of the 3-graviton vertex function, with a single loop of internal scalar particles in thermal equilibrium. We use the analytically continued imaginary-time formalism. We verify a particular case of the Ward identity connecting the 3- and 2-graviton functions. This confirms that there is covariance under general coordinate transformations (which reduce to the identity at infinity). We remark that the ghost-ghost-graviton vertex (with ghost and graviton internal lines) has noT ⁴ term. This implies that the 3-graviton function with internal graviton (and ghost) lines must satisfy the Ward identity too, so it is possible for it to be proportional to the scalar contribution. We have verified this for that part of the vertex function which is manifestly symmetric and traceless in the six Lorentz indices.     

A dispersion relation for gravitational radiation in a Schwarzschild background

A dispersion relation is derived for gravitational radiation emitted from an almost spherical object.