Some High-Frequency Gravitational Waves Related to Exact Radiative Spacetimes

A formalism is introduced which may describe both standard linearized waves and gravitational waves in Isaacson's high-frequency limit. After emphasizing main differences between the two approximation techniques we generalize the Isaacson method to non-vacuum spacetimes. Then we present three large explicit classes of solutions for high-frequency gravitational waves in particular backgrounds. These involve non-expanding (plane, spherical or hyperbolical), cylindrical, and expanding (spherical) waves propagating in various universes which may contain a cosmological constant and electromagnetic field. Relations of high-frequency gravitational perturbations of these types to corresponding exact radiative spacetimes are described.     

Letter: Gravitational Waves in the Generalized Chaplygin Gas Model

The consequences of taking the generalized Chaplygin gas as the dark energy constituent of the Universe on the gravitational waves are studied and the spectrum obtained from this model, for the flat case, is analyzed. Besides its importance for the study of the primordial Universe, the gravitational waves represent an additional perspective (besides the CMB temperature and polarization anisotropies) to evaluate the consistence of the different dark energy models and establish better constraints to their parameters. The analysis presented here takes this fact into consideration to open one more perspective of verification of the generalized Chaplygin gas model applicability. Nine particular cases are compared: one where no dark energy is present; two that simulate the -CDM model; two where the gas acts like the traditional Chaplygin gas; and four where the dark energy is the generalized Chaplygin gas. The different spectra permit to distinguish the -CDM and the Chaplygin gas scenarios.     

Exact Non-Singular Waves in the Anti-de Sitter Universe

A class of radiative solutions of Einstein's field equations with a negative cosmological constant and a pure radiation is investigated. The space-times, which generalize the Defrise solution, represent exact gravitational waves which interact with null matter and propagate in the anti–de Sitter universe. Interestingly, these solutions have homogeneous and non-singular wave-fronts for all freely moving observers. We also study properties of sandwich and impulsive waves which can be constructed in this class of space-times.     

High-Frequency Gravitational Waves in Electromagnetic Waveguides

The interaction between a very-high-frequency gravitational wave (VHFGW) and an electromagnetic wave (EMW) in a rectangular waveguide is discussed in the weak field limit. The background EMW is assumed to be initially in the TE₁₀ mode along the waveguide. It is then shown that a VHFGW, having the same frequency and direction of propagation of the EMW, induces through the waveguide a TE mode with a frequency doubled when compared to the original EMW frequency. In that respect, the GW acts similar to a non-linear medium, giving rise to a Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) effect.     

Increase of the Number of Detectable Gravitational Waves Signals Due to Gravitational Lensing

This article deals with the gravitational lensing (GL) of gravitational waves (GW). We compute the increase in the number of detected GW events due to GL. First, we check that geometrical optics is valid for the GW frequency range on which Earth-based detectors are sensitive, and that this is also partially true for what concerns the future space-based interferometer LISA. To infer this result, both the diffraction parameter and a cut-off frequency are computed. Then, the variation in the number of GW signals is estimated in the general case, and applied to some lens models: point mass lens and singular isothermal sphere (SIS profile). An estimation of the magnification factor has also been done for the softened isothermal sphere and for the King profile. The results appear to be strongly model-dependent, but in all cases the increase in the number of detected GW signals is negligible. The use of time delays among images is also investigated.     

Newman-Penrose Formalism and Gravitational Impulsive and Shock Waves

Vacuum spacetimes endowed with two commuting spacelike Killing vector fields are considered. Subject to the hypothesis that there exists a shearfree null geodesic congruence orthogonal to the two-surface generated by the two commuting spacelike Killing vector fields,it is shown that, with a specific choice of null tetrad, the Newman-Penrose equations are reduced to an ordinary differential equation of Riccati type. fiom the consideration of this differential equation, exact solutions of the vacuum Einstein field equations with distribution valued Weyl curvature describing the propagation of gravitational impulsive and shock wave of variable polarization are then constructed.     

Cosmology with Gravitational Waves: A Review

Standard sirens have been the central paradigm in gravitational-wave cosmology so far. From the gravitational wave signature of compact star binaries, it is possible to measure the luminosity distance of the source directly, and if additional information on the source redshift is provided, a measurement of the cosmological expansion can be performed. This review article discusses several methodologies that have been proposed to use gravitational waves for cosmological studies. Methods that use only gravitational-wave signals and methods that use gravitational waves in conjunction with additional observations such as electromagnetic counterparts and galaxy catalogs will be discussed. The review also discusses the most recent results on gravitational-wave cosmology, starting from the binary neutron star merger GW170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart and finishing with the population of binary black holes, observed with the third Gravitational-wave Transient Catalog GWTC–3.     

Do Neutron Star Gravitational Waves Carry Superfluid Imprints?

Isolated neutron stars undergoing non-radial oscillations are expected to emit gravitational waves in the kilohertz frequency range. To date, radio astronomers have located about 1,300 pulsars, and can estimate that there are about 2×10⁸ neutron stars in the galaxy. Many of these are surely old and cold enough that their interiors will contain matter in the superfluid or superconducting state. In fact, the so-called glitch phenomenon in pulsars (a sudden spin-up of the pulsar's crust) is best described by assuming the presence of superfluid neutrons and superconducting protons in the inner crusts and cores of the pulsars. Recently there has been much progress on modelling the dynamics of superfluid neutron stars in both the Newtonian and general relativistic regimes. We will discuss some of the main results of this recent work, perhaps the most important being that superfluidity should affect the gravitational waves from neutron stars (emitted, for instance, during a glitch) by modifying both the rotational properties of the background star and the modes of oscillation of the perturbed configuration. Finally, we present an analysis of the so-called zero-frequency subspace (i.e., the space of time-independent perturbations) and determine that it is spanned by two sets of polar (or spheroidal) and two sets of axial (or toroidal) degenerate perturbations for the general relativistic system. As in the Newtonian case, the polar perturbations are the g-modes which are missing from the pulsation spectrum of a non-rotating configuration, and the axial perturbations should lead to two sets of r-modes when the degeneracy of the frequencies is broken by having the background rotate.     

Properties of Gravitational Waves in Cosmological General Relativity

The 5D Cosmological General Relativity theory developed by Carmeli reproduces all of the results that have been successfully tested for Einstein's 4D theory. However the Carmeli theory because of its fifth dimension, the velocity of the expanding universe, predicts something different for the propagation of gravity waves on cosmological distance scales. This analysis indicates that gravitational radiation may not propagate as an unattenuated wave where effects of the Hubble expansion are felt. In such cases the energy does not travel over very large length scales but is evanescent and dissipated into the surrounding space as heat.     

Gravitational Waves from a Pseudo-Newtonian Kerr Field with Halos

A close relation between gravitational waveforms and the types of trajectories in a superposed field between a pseudo-Newtonian Kerr black hole and quadrupolar halos is shown in detail. The gravitational waveforms emitted from circular, KAM tori and chaotic orbits must be periodic, quasiperiodic and stochastic, respectively. The chaotic motion can maximally enhance both the amplitudes and the energy emission rates of the waves.     

Search for Short-Duration Transient Gravitational Waves Emitted by Neutron Star Glitches

Neutron stars are known to show an accelerated spin-up of their rotational frequency on a short time scale of around 40 s, called a “glitch” in the neutron star. These neutron star glitches can emit short-duration transient gravitational wave signals as f-mode oscillations at frequencies between 1.5 and 3 kHz and damping times of less than a few seconds. The observed rate of neutron star glitches are currently limited by their electromagnetic observations. There could be a population of the isolated neutron stars in the galaxy for which there is no electromagnetic observation, but they can produce gravitational wave signals. Here, the sensitivity of the generic all-sky search for short-duration transients towards neutron star glitches during the Advanced LIGO and Virgo's third observing run using the Coherent WaveBurst algorithm is presented. The prospects of detecting signals from such glitching neutron stars for the upcoming fourth and fifth observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors are also described.     

Characteristic Features of Gravitational Wave Lensing as Probe of Lens Mass Model

To recognize gravitational wave lensing events and being able to differentiate between similar lens models will be of crucial importance once one will be observing several lensing events of gravitational waves per year. In this work, the lensing of gravitational waves is studied in the context of LISA sources and wave-optics regime. While different papers before the studied microlensing effects enhanced by simultaneous strong lensing, the focus is on frequency (time) dependent phase effects produced by one lens that will be visible with only one lensed signal. It is shows how, in the interference regime (i.e., when interference patterns are present in the lensed image), one is able to i) distinguish a lensed waveform from an unlensed one, and ii) differentiate between different lens models. In pure wave-optics, on the other hand, the feasibility of the study depends on the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal and/or the amplitude of the lensing effect. To achieve these goals, the phase of the amplification factor of the different lens models and its effect on the unlensed waveform is studied, and the signal-to-noise calculation to provide some quantitative examples is exploited.     

Letter: The Gravitational Energy of a Black Hole

An exact energy expression for a physical black hole is derived by considering the escape of a photon from the black hole. The mass of the black hole within its horizon is found to be twice its mass as observed at infinity. This result is important in understanding gravitational waves in black hole collisions.     

Numerical Relativity and the Discovery of Gravitational Waves

Solving Einstein's equations precisely for strong‐field gravitational systems is essential to determining the full physics content of gravitational wave detections. Without these solutions it is not possible to infer precise values for initial and final‐state system parameters. Obtaining these solutions requires extensive numerical simulations, as Einstein's equations governing these systems are much too difficult to solve analytically. These difficulties arise principally from the curved, non‐linear nature of spacetime in general relativity. Developing the numerical capabilities needed to produce reliable, efficient calculations has required a Herculean 50‐year effort involving hundreds of researchers using sophisticated physical insight, algorithm development, computational technique, and computers that are a billion times more capable than they were in 1964 when computations were first attempted. The purpose of this review is to give an accessible overview for non‐experts of the major developments that have made such dramatic progress possible.