A study of some exact solutions to Einstein's field equations which yield separable Hamilton-Jacobi equations

Abstract

Exact solutions to Einstein's field equations, which give rise to a Stäckel-separable Hamilton-Jacobi equation of the form

$$,y,z)\left[ {X(x)\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial x}}} \right)^2 - 2\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial x}}} \right)\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial t}}} \right) - 2\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial y}}} \right)\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial t}}} \right) + Z(z)\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial z}}} \right)^2 - 2\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial z}}} \right)\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial t}}} \right) - F(x,y,z)\left( {\frac{{\partial S}}{{\partial t}}} \right)^2 } \right] = \lambda $$

are considered. It is shown that there are no solutions for whichD is a function ofx orz, orx andz. The exact solutions are of Petrov typeN and are plane polarized waves without rotation. Some of the solutions are given explicitly, up to two arbitary functions. For these solutions the Hamilton-Jacobi equation is reduced to an uncoupled set of first-order ordinary differential equations.