Propagation of gravitational waves in the nonperturbative spinor vacuum

Vladimir Folomeev,Vladimir Dzhunushaliev

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-014-3057-2

Abstract

The propagation of gravitational waves on the background of a nonperturbative vacuum of a spinor field is considered. It is shown that there are several distinctive features in comparison with the propagation of plane gravitational waves through empty space: there exists the fixed phase difference between the $h_{yy,zz}$ and $h_{yz}$ components of the wave; the phase and group velocities of gravitational waves are not equal to the velocity of light; the group velocity is always less than the velocity of light; under some conditions the gravitational waves are either damped or absent; for given frequency, there exist two waves with different wave vectors. We also discuss the possibility of experimental verification of the obtained effects as a tool to investigate nonperurbative quantum field theories.

Highlights

Gravitational waves (GWs) are probably the most suitable object for studying the deep space
A quantum vacuum possesses the energy associated with the unavoidable quantum fluctuations of various fields when the vacuum expectation value of any quantum field is zero but the expectation value of the square of fluctuations is nonzero
One may conclude that the propagation of GWs on the background of the spinor vacuum possesses some common features with the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a conducting medium

Summary

Introduction

Gravitational waves (GWs) are probably the most suitable object for studying the deep space (for a review with references on the subject see, e.g., Ref. [1]). It is well known that the above equation describes damped waves Comparing both these situations, one may conclude that the propagation of GWs on the background of the spinor vacuum possesses some common features with the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a conducting medium One may conclude that the propagation of GWs on the background of the spinor vacuum possesses some common features with the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a conducting medium In this case one might consider such a vacuum as consisting of a spinor condensate (a continuous medium) through which the GW propagates

Perturbed Einstein equations

The left-hand side of the perturbed Einstein equations

The right-hand side of the Einstein equations

Gravitational wave propagating on the background of the spinor vacuum

Case I

Case II

Conclusions