Research

 

Interaction of light with gravitational waves

 

S. Hacyan

 

Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 20-364, México D. F. 01000, México.

 

Received 14 October 2013
accepted 2 April 2014

 

Abstract

The physical properties of electromagnetic waves in the presence of a gravitational plane wave are analyzed. Formulas for the Stokes parameters describing the polarization of light are obtained in closed form. The particular case of a constant amplitude gravitational wave is worked out explicitly and it is shown that it produces a linear polarization of light.

Keywords: Gravitational waves; electromagnetic waves; Stokes parameteres.

 

PACS: 04.30.Nk; 42.25.Ja

 

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Acknowledgments

Work supported in part by PAPIIT-UNAM, project IN 101511-3.

 

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