English

The true radiation gauge for gravity

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2011-03-21 v3 High Energy Physics - Theory Mathematical Physics math.MP

Abstract

Corresponding to the similarity between the Lorentz gauge μAμ=0\partial_\mu A^\mu=0 in electrodynamics and gμνΓμνρ=0g^{\mu\nu}\Gamma^\rho_{\mu\nu}=0 in gravity, we show that the counterpart of the radiation gauge iAi=0\partial_iA^i=0 is gijΓijρ=0g^{ij}\Gamma^\rho_{ij}=0, in stead of other forms as discussed before. Particularly: 1) at least for a weak field, gijΓijρ=0g^{ij}\Gamma^\rho_{ij}=0 fixes the gauge completely and picks out exactly the two physical components of the gravitational field; 2) like A0A^0, the non-dynamical components h0μh_{0\mu} are solved instantaneously; 3) gravitational radiation is generated by the "transverse" part of the energy-momentum tensor, similar to the transverse current J\vec J_\perp. This true" radiation gauge gijΓijρ=0g^{ij}\Gamma^\rho_{ij}=0 is especially pertinent for studying gravitational energy, such as the energy flow in gravitational radiation. It agrees with the transverse-traceless (TT) gauge for a pure wave, and reveals remarkably how the TT gauge can be adapted in the presence of source.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1006.3927,
  title  = {The true radiation gauge for gravity},
  author = {Xiang-Song Chen and Ben-Chao Zhu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1006.3927},
  year   = {2011}
}

Comments

11 pages, no figure; significant revision, showing how the TT gauge can be adapted in the presence of source

R2 v1 2026-06-21T15:38:39.403Z