Scattering of Gravitational Radiation by a Schwarzschild Black-hole

Abstract

THE discovery of pulsars and the general conviction that they are neutron stars resulting from gravitational collapse have strengthened the belief in the possible presence of Schwarzschild black-holes—or Schwarzschild horizons—in nature, the latter being the ultimate stage in the progressive spherical collapse of a massive star. The stability of these objects, which has been discussed in a recent report¹, ensures their continued existence after formation. Inasmuch as the infinite redshift associated with it and its behaviour as a one-way membrane make the Schwarzschild horizon at once elusive and intriguing, it is important to explore theoretically all possible modes in which the presence of such a black-hole manifests itself. In what follows, we present a partial summary of some results obtained from an investigation of the scattering of gravitational waves by a Schwarzschild horizon.