J B Griffiths and P Docherty
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK
Classical and Quantum Gravity Create an alert RSS this journal
J B Griffiths and P Docherty 2002 Class. Quantum Grav. 19 L109
We present a simple sandwich gravitational wave of the Robinson–Trautman family. This is interpreted as representing a shock wave with a spherical wavefront which propagates into a Minkowski background minus a wedge (i.e. the background contains a cosmic string). The deficit angle (the tension) of the string decreases through the gravitational wave, which then ceases. This leaves an expanding spherical region of Minkowski space behind it. The decay of the cosmic string over a finite interval of retarded time may be considered to generate the gravitational wave.
11.27.+d Extended classical solutions; cosmic strings, domain walls, texture
Issue 11 (7 June 2002)
Received 16 April 2002
Published 13 May 2002
J B Griffiths and P Docherty 2002 Class. Quantum Grav. 19 L109