Some classes of gravitational shock waves from higher order theories of gravity

Abstract

We study the gravitational shock wave generated by a massless high energy particle in the context of higher order gravities of the form $F(R,R_{\mu \nu}R^{\mu \nu},R_{\mu \nu \alpha \beta}R^{\mu \nu \alpha \beta})$. In the case of $F(R)$ gravity, we investigate the gravitational shock wave solutions corresponding to various cosmologically viable gravities, and as we demonstrate the solutions are rescaled versions of the Einstein-Hilbert gravity solution. Interestingly enough, other higher order gravities result to the general relativistic solution, except for some specific gravities of the form $F(R_{\mu \nu}R^{\mu \nu})$ and $F(R,R_{\mu \nu}R^{\mu \nu})$, which we study in detail. In addition, when realistic Gauss-Bonnet gravities of the form $R+F(\mathcal{G})$ are considered, the gravitational shock wave solutions are identical to the general relativistic solution. Finally, the singularity structure of the gravitational shock waves solutions is studied, and it is shown that the effect of higher order gravities makes the singularities milder in comparison to the general relativistic solutions, and in some particular cases the singularities seem to be absent.