Electromagnetic, Gravitational, and Plasma-Related Perturbations of Locally Rotationally Symmetric Class II Spacetimes

Abstract

We investigate electromagnetic, gravitational, and plasma-related perturbations to the first order on homogeneous and hypersurface orthogonal locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) class II spacetimes. Due to the anisotropic nature of the studied backgrounds, we are able to include a non-zero magnetic field to the zeroth order. As a result of this inclusion, we find interesting interactions between the electromagnetic and gravitational variables already of the first order in the perturbations. The equations governing these perturbations are found by using the Ricci identities, the Bianchi identities, Einstein’s field equations, Maxwell’s equations, particle conservation, and a form of energy-momentum conservation for the plasma components. Using a 1+1+2 covariant split of spacetime, the studied quantities and equations are decomposed with respect to the preferred directions on the background spacetimes. After linearizing the decomposed equations around an LRS background, performing a harmonic decomposition, and imposing the cold magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) limit with a finite electrical resistivity, the system is then reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations in time and some constraints. On solving for some of the harmonic coefficients in terms of the others, the system is found to decouple into two closed and independent subsectors. Through numerical calculations, we then observe some mechanisms for generating magnetic field perturbations, showing some traits similar to previous works using Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) backgrounds. Furthermore, beat-like patterns are observed in the short wave length limit due to interference between gravitational waves and plasmonic modes.