https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2002-00287-5
An integrable model in general relativity
Dipartimento di Fisica “E.R. Caianiello”,
Università di Salerno and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, GC di Salerno, Italy
Corresponding author: a vilasi@sa.infn.it
Received:
11
June
2002
Published online:
2
October
2002
It is shown that gravitational fields invariant for a non Abelian 2-dimensional Lie algebra of Killing fields are parameterized either by solutions of a transcendental equation (the tortoise equation) or by solutions of a linear second order partial differential equation (the Laplace equation or the Darboux equation) on the plane. Those determined via Laplace or Darboux equations are exact nonlinear gravitational waves obeying to two nonlinear superposition laws.
PACS: 04.20.-q – Classical general relativity / 04.20.Gz – Spacetime topology, causal structure, spinor structure / 04.20.Jb – Exact solutions
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2002