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Scattering of Two Impulsive Gravitational Plane Waves

Abstract

IT has long been recognized that Einstein's gravitational equations admit wave-like solutions. But because of the smallness of the gravitational constant it would require an exceedingly violent astronomical process to generate gravitational waves of sufficient intensity to be detectable with available apparatus. Weber10 has, however, presented a plausible case for believing that his detectors may indeed have monitored frequent and sharply pulsed gravitational waves, which seem to be emanating from the centre of our galaxy. Because such waves could give some very significant information about extraordinary processes which may be taking place in certain regions of the universe, the detection of gravitational waves may be important in the observational astronomy of the future.

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KHAN, K., PENROSE, R. Scattering of Two Impulsive Gravitational Plane Waves. Nature 229, 185–186 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/229185a0

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