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arXiv · 2201.05543

Gravitational wave memory and the wave equation

David Garfinkle
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Abstract

Gravitational wave memory and its electromagnetic analog are shown to be straightforward consequences of the wave equation. From Maxwell's equations one can derive a wave equation for the electric field, while from the Bianchi identity one can derive a wave equation for the Riemann tensor in linearized gravity. Memory in both cases is derived from the structure of the source of those wave equations.

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David Garfinkle. 2022-01-14. Gravitational wave memory and the wave equation. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6382%2Fac7203

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