The effect of spectral broadening of electromagnetic radiation propagating in a ... fluctuations in the space curvature caused by relict gravitational radiation is ...
Russian Physics Journal, Vol. 45, No. 2, 2002
DESCRIPTION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION PROPAGATING IN A FOUR-DIMENSIONAL SPACE -TIME WITH A FLUCTUATING METRIC TENSOR UDC 539.12
A. N. Morozov and V. O. Gladyshev
The effect of spectral broadening of electromagnetic radiation propagating in a four-dimensional space-time with fluctuations in the space curvature caused by relict gravitational radiation is predicted. It is demonstrated that distortion of spectral line profiles of electromagnetic radiation caused by the fluctuating metric is at the level of resolution of the available spectral instrumentation.
A description of the physical processes proceeding in space-time with a randomly changing metric tensor is connected with spatial curvature fluctuations which may arise as a result of summation of a large number of gravity waves having different amplitudes and spectral characteristics. Considering that gravity waves are generated by different uncorrelated astrophysical objects such as neutron stars, black holes, etc., and accompany the gravitational collapse and outbursts of supernovae [1], the application of a model of randomly changing metric tensor seems sufficiently justified for a description of space-time, the more so that the examined model is applicable for a description of stochastic background radiation caused, in particular, by relict gravitational radiation [2]. In general, the problem of a description of physical processes in space-time with a fluctuating metric tensor can be formulated as follows. Let us assume that a physical process proceeds in space-time, for example, an electromagnetic wave
propagates. The metric tensor gik x0 , x1 , x 2 , x3 represents a random function of coordinates xl required to determine the character of the examined physical process when the metric tensor gik
^ x , x , x , x ` . It is x changes randomly 0
1
2
3
l
with time and shift in space. To construct equations describing the physical processes proceeding in space-time with a fluctuating metric tensor, we can take advantage of the method described in [3]. The electromagnetic field equations in a curved space-time allow the specific features of the electromagnetic wave propagation in space-time with a fluctuating metric tensor to be analyzed. We consider the propagation of light in the geometric optics approximation. This case is realized when the wavelength of light O0 is small compared to the characteristic scale GL of the metric tensor fluctuations, that is, when O0
