G P Perry and F I Cooperstock 1999 Class. Quantum Grav. 16 1889 doi:10.1088/0264-9381/16/6/321
G P Perry and F I Cooperstock
Show affiliationsRecent work on gravitational geons is extended to examine the stability properties of gravitational and electromagnetic geon constructs. All types of geons must possess the property of regularity, self-consistency and quasi-stability on a time-scale much longer than the period of the comprising waves. Standard perturbation theory, modified to accommodate time-averaged fields, is used to test the requirement of quasi-stability. It is found that the modified perturbation theory results in an internal inconsistency. The time-scale of evolution is found to be of the same order of magnitude as the period of the comprising waves. This contradicts the requirement of slow evolution. Thus not all of the requirements for the existence of electromagnetic or gravitational geons are met though perturbation theory. From this result it cannot be concluded that an electromagnetic or a gravitational geon is a viable entity. The broader implications of the result are discussed with particular reference to the problem of gravitational energy.
04.25.Nx Post-Newtonian approximation; perturbation theory; related approximations
83C22 Einstein-Maxwell equations
83C40 Gravitational energy and conservation laws; groups of motions
Issue 6 (June 1999)
Received 19 October 1998, in final form 4 March 1999
G P Perry and F I Cooperstock 1999 Class. Quantum Grav. 16 1889
Ning Wen et al 2007 Phys. Med. Biol. 52 2267
I D Culverwell et al 1989 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 31 387
L. Ramos et al 2004 Europhys. Lett. 66 888
C P Ballance et al 2007 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 40 1131
Sheikh N Ahmad et al 2006 Smart Mater. Struct. 15 401
Y S Kim and Marilyn E Noz 2005 J. Opt. B: Quantum Semiclass. Opt. 7 S458
Irena Knezevic and David K Ferry 2004 Semicond. Sci. Technol. 19 S220
Srijit Kamath et al 2004 Phys. Med. Biol. 49 N7
H Laidler et al 2002 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 35 512