Colliding plane waves in F(R)=RN gravity

Abstract

We identify a region of F(R)=R^{N} gravity without external sources which is isometric to the spacetime of colliding plane waves (CPW). From the derived curvature sources, N (N>1) measures the strength (i.e. the charge) of the source. The analogy renders construction and collision of plane waves in F(R)=R^{N} gravity possible, as in the Einstein-Maxwell (EM) theory, simply because R=0. A plane wave in this type of gravity is equivalent to a Weyl curvature plus an electromagnetic energy-momentum-like term (i.e. 'source without source'). For N=1 we recover naturally the plane waves (and their collision) in Einstein's theory. Our aim is to find the effect of an expanding universe by virtue of F(R)=R^{N} on the colliding gravitational plane waves of Einstein.