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The gravitational field of photons

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Abstract

The gravitational field of a photon on an infinite straight path is a single sheet of plane-fronted gravitational wave accompanying the photon and perpendicular to its track. This field cannot arise from a retarded potential generated by the photon, and I suggest that it arises in the process of emission. The near-field depends on the energy of the photon, but the far-field does not. The field of a steady beam of photons is compared with that of a static material rod, and the differences discussed.

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  1. Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK

    W. B. Bonnor

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  1. W. B. Bonnor
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Correspondence to W. B. Bonnor.

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Bonnor, W.B. The gravitational field of photons. Gen Relativ Gravit 41, 77–85 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-008-0655-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-008-0655-z

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