Gravity Waves & Gravitomotive Force: Is Rotation Possible?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the relationship between gravity waves and the concept of gravitomotive force, particularly in the context of binary systems emitting gravity waves. It establishes that a steadily rotating mass generates a gravitomagnetostatic field, analogous to the magnetostatic field produced by a rotating electric charge. The conversation explores whether varying gravitomagnetic fields can induce rotation, similar to electromotive fields, and concludes that gravitational radiation is not emitted in directions where the quadrupole moment remains constant, specifically in the z direction for rotation in the xy plane.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gravity waves and their emission patterns
  • Familiarity with gravitomagnetism and its analogies to electromagnetism
  • Knowledge of quadrupole moments in gravitational contexts
  • Basic principles of electromotive fields and their effects
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of gravitoelectromagnetism in gravitational wave physics
  • Study the mathematical framework of quadrupole moments in gravitational radiation
  • Explore the relationship between rotating masses and their gravitomagnetic fields
  • Investigate the effects of varying gravitational fields on orbital dynamics
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, astrophysicists, and researchers interested in gravitational wave phenomena and the theoretical frameworks of gravitoelectromagnetism.

snorkack
Messages
2,388
Reaction score
536
For a binary emitting gravity waves: are there any directions of space into which gravity waves are not emitted for reasons of symmetry?
Also:
a steadily rotating electric charge current causes a magnetostatic field
A steadily rotating mass must cause a gravitomagnetostatic field.
Electrostatic field of an electric monopole charge is a potential field. Its integral through any closed circuit is zero.
A gravitostatic field of a mass monopole charge is also a potential field. Its integral through any closed circuit is also zero.
When a magnetic field varies in time, it causes electromotive field. It is electric field, but it is allowed to have nonzero integral through closed circuits.
What happens when gravitomagnetic field varies through time, for example due to orbital movement?
Can varying gravitomagnetic field include a gravitomotive field, with nonzero integral over closed circuits?
In other words, can varying gravitomagnetic field cause a wheel to rotate?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
There is a framework in which gravity is treated by analogy with electromagnetism:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitoelectromagnetism

This framework has limitations: for example, it is not covariant under coordinate transformations, as Maxwell's equations are. So it cannot model gravitational radiation. But it does give a good idea of which EM effects have reasonably close gravitational analogues.
 
So, repeating the first question:
snorkack said:
For a binary emitting gravity waves: are there any directions of space into which gravity waves are not emitted for reasons of symmetry?
 
snorkack said:
So, repeating the first question:

For a binary emitting gravity waves: are there any directions of space into which gravity waves are not emitted for reasons of symmetry?

I'd say yes, offhand, that there shouldn't be any GW emission in the directions in which the components of the quadrupole moment is constant. For instance, if the rotation is in the xy plane, and z is constant so that the integral of ##z^2 dm## is constant, I wouldn't expect any gravitational radiation in the z direction. But I don't have a rigorous proof, or a reference that says exactly this (Wiki and by memory several textbooks do say that you need a nonzero quadrupole moment to have gravitational radiation at all, but this doesn't quite say anything about the direction of the radiation).
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
1K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
1K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 32 ·
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
2K
  • · Replies 42 ·
2
Replies
42
Views
4K