Tensor spherical harmonics and tensor multipoles. II. Minkowski space

Abstract

The bases of tensor spherical harmonics and of tensor multipoles discussed in the preceding paper are generalized in the Hilbert space of Minkowski tensor fields. The transformation properties of the tensor multipoles under Lorentz transformation lead to the notion of irreducible tensor multipoles. We show that the usual 4-vector multipoles are themselves irreducible, and we build the irreducible tensor multipoles of the second order. We also give their relations with the symmetric tensor multipoles defined by Zerilli for application to the gravitational radiation.