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On the gravitational field of a massless particle

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Abstract

The gravitational field of a massless point particle is first calculated using the linearized field equations. The result is identical with the exact solution, obtained from the Schwarzschild metric by means of a singular Lorentz transformation. The gravitational field of the particle is nonvanishing only on a plane containing the particle and orthogonal to the direction of motion. On this plane the Riemann tensor has a δ-like singularity and is exactly of Petrov typeN.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Theoretische Physik der Universität Wien, Austria

    P. C. Aichelburg & R. U. Sexl

Authors
  1. P. C. Aichelburg
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  2. R. U. Sexl
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This work was supported in part by ‘Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung’.

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Aichelburg, P.C., Sexl, R.U. On the gravitational field of a massless particle. Gen Relat Gravit 2, 303–312 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00758149

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00758149

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