Null shells and double layers in quadratic gravity

Abstract

For a singular hypersurface of arbitrary type in quadratic gravity motion equations were obtained using only the least action principle. It turned out that the coefficients in the motion equations are zeroed with a combination corresponding to the Gauss-Bonnet term. Therefore it does not create neither double layers nor thin shells. It has been demonstrated that there is no “external pressure” for any type of null singular hypersurface. It turned out that null spherically symmetric singular hupersurfaces in quadratic gravity cannot be a double layer, and only thin shells are possible. The system of motion equations in this case is reduced to one which is expressed through the invariants of spherical geometry along with the Lichnerowicz conditions. Spherically symmetric null thin shells were investigated for spherically symmetric solutions of conformal gravity as applications, in particular, for various vacua and Vaidya-type solutions.