Abstract

Colliding or noncolliding plane-fronted electromagnetic or gravitational waves are the asymptotic limit of Robinson–Trautman spherical electromagnetic or gravitational waves. Noncolliding plane-fronted waves contain no information about their sources whereas colliding waves contain information about possibly the motion of their sources. As a first step to investigate the latter phenomenon, we construct an asymptotic limit of Liénard–Wiechert electromagnetic fields in the context of Minkowskian spacetime. This has the advantage that the source is well known and the calculations can be carried out in full detail. The final result is an algebraically general Maxwell field which consists of colliding plane-fronted waves in a subregion of Minkowskian spacetime and an interesting byproduct is a novel perspective on a Maxwell field originally discovered by Bateman.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.