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Gravitational self force and gauge transformations

Barack, Leor and Ori, Amos (2001) Gravitational self force and gauge transformations Physical Review D, 64, (12), 124003-[13pp].

Record type: Article

Abstract

We explore how the gravitational self-force (or “radiation reaction” force), acting on a pointlike test particle in curved spacetime, is modified in a gauge transformation. We derive the general transformation law, describing the change in the self-force in terms of the infinitesimal displacement vector associated with the gauge transformation. Based on this transformation law, we extend the regularization prescription by Mino et al. and Quinn and Wald (originally formulated within the harmonic gauge) to an arbitrary gauge. Then we extend the method of mode-sum regularization (which provides a practical means for calculating the regularized self-force and was recently applied to the harmonic-gauge gravitational self-force) to an arbitrary gauge. We find that the regularization parameters involved in this method are gauge-independent. We also explore the gauge transformation of the self-force from the harmonic gauge to the Regge-Wheeler gauge and to the radiation gauge, focusing attention on the regularity of these gauge transformations. We conclude that the transformation of the self-force to the Regge-Wheeler gauge in Schwarzschild spacetime is regular for radial orbits and irregular otherwise, whereas the transformation to the radiation gauge is irregular for all orbits.

Full text not available from this repository.

Published date: 2001

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 29363
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/29363
ISSN: 1550-7998
PURE UUID: 172de0fc-a25d-4db4-b95c-db1b0b3d0871

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 12 May 2006

Contributors

Author: Leor Barack
Author: Amos Ori