Gravitational waves and massless particle fields

Abstract

These notes address the planar gravitational wave solutions of general relativity in empty space-time, and analyze the motion of test particles in the gravitational wave field. Next we consider related solutions of the Einstein equations for the gravitational field accompanied by long-range wave fields of scalar, spinor and vector type, corresponding to particles of spin s=(0,1/2,1). The motion of test masses in the combined gravitational and scalar, spinor or vector wave fields is discussed.