Lorenz gauge in linearized gravity

The Lorenz condition ${\partial }^{\mu }{\bar{h}}_{\mu \nu }=0$ reduces the vacuum field equation to $\square {\bar{h}}_{\mu \nu }=0$. A plane-wave amplitude therefore satisfies $k^{\mu }{H}_{\mu \nu }=0$ and $k^{\mu }{k}_{\mu }=0$.

An infinitesimal coordinate change generated by ${\xi }_{\mu }$ changesIt preserves Lorenz gauge exactly when $\square {\xi }_{\mu }=0$.

Under the convention $\delta h_{\mu \nu }={\partial }_{\mu }{\xi }_{\nu }+{\partial }_{\nu }{\xi }_{\mu }$, choose ${\xi }^{\mu }=b^{\mu }\sin (k\cdot x)$ with constant $b^{\mu }$ and null $k^{\mu }$. The trace-reversed metric perturbation has amplitudeIt satisfies $k_{\mu }{ϵ}_{\mathrm{gauge}}^{\mu \nu }=0$ and $\square {\xi }^{\mu }=0$, so it is an allowed residual gauge symmetry of linearized gravity. Its linearized Riemann curvature operator is zero: the four wavevector factors in each second-derivative term cancel in the antisymmetric curvature combinations. Nonzero transverse-traceless curvature distinguishes the two physical gravitational wave polarizations from these coordinate modes.^[ref]

A vacuum mode ${\bar{h}}_{\mu \nu }=H_{\mu \nu }{e}^{ik\cdot x}$ has a null wavevector and a transverse symmetric amplitude. Residual gauge freedom can further reduce it to two physical transverse-traceless polarizations.

Transverse-traceless gauge sets the time and longitudinal components and the spatial trace of a vacuum gravitational-wave perturbation to zero.

In a weak plus-polarized gravitational wave, initially stationary test particles have constant spatial coordinates in transverse-traceless gauge because ${\Gamma }^i{}_{00}=0$. Their physical separations nevertheless change. For a small transverse ring, $X=(1+h_{+}/2)x$ and $Y=(1-h_{+}/2)y$, so its principal semiaxes oscillate as $a(1\pm h_{+}/2)$. The radial response has the displayed angular dependence. These are local distance measurements in the long-wavelength limit; finite-arm light-travel times require the full detector response.

For a plane gravitational wave in linearized gravity with $k_{\mu }=(-\omega ,0,0,\omega )$, Lorenz gauge in linearized gravity gives $H_{3\nu }=-H_{0\nu }$. Under $\delta H_{\mu \nu }=i(k_{\mu }{X}_{\nu }+k_{\nu }{X}_{\mu }-{\eta }_{\mu \nu }{k}^{\rho }{X}_{\rho })$, choose $X_i=H_{0i}/(i\omega )$ for $i=1,2$, $X_3-X_0=i{H}_{00}/\omega$, and $X_0+X_3=(H_{11}+H_{22})/(2i\omega )$. This residual gauge symmetry of linearized gravity removes all time and longitudinal entries and the transverse trace. The remaining amplitudes $H_{+},H_{\times }$ are the two gravitational wave polarizations. The formula uses the plus-sign convention for $\delta h=2{\partial }_{(\mu }{\xi }_{\nu )}$; reversing the definition of $\xi$ reverses the gauge change.

In transverse-traceless gauge, particles initially at rest have fixed spatial coordinates because ${\Gamma }^{\mu }{}_{00}=0$. Their separation measured in a parallel-propagated orthonormal frame changes: to first order $S^{\hat{A}}=S^A+h_{AB}{S}^B/2$. Hence the physical geodesic deviation is ${\ddot{\xi }}^{\hat{A}}={\ddot{h}}_{AB}{L}^B/2$, whereas the coordinate displacement obeys ${\ddot{\xi }}_{\mathrm{coord}}^A=0$. The extra ${\partial }_0{\Gamma }^A{}_{0B}{L}^B$ term in the coordinate expansion of the second covariant derivative reconciles the two results. This applies to infinitesimal separations and linear metric perturbations.

At first order, geodesic deviation gives ${\ddot{\xi }}_i={\ddot{h}}_{ij}{X}^j/2$ for a small detector in a plane gravitational wave in linearized gravity. For physical initial displacement zero and initial velocity $V_i$, integration gives ${\xi }_i=[h_{ij}(t)-h_{ij}(0)]X^j/2+[V_i-{\dot{h}}_{ij}(0)X^j/2]t$. A bounded periodic response selects $V_i={\dot{h}}_{ij}(0)X^j/2$. Prescribed positions alone do not select that response when the wave has no wave-free past.

For a short pair of stationary test particles in transverse-traceless gauge, spatial coordinates stay fixed while the measured proper length changes. In background signature $+---$, let $h_{xx}=-h_{yy}=H_{+}$ and $h_{xy}=H_{\times }$. A coordinate separation of length $\Delta$ at angle $\theta$ hasThe plus polarization and cross polarization differ by a $45$-degree rotation of their principal axes. With background signature $-+++$ and the same numerical spatial perturbation, the sign reverses because the positive spatial metric is then ${\delta }_{ij}+h_{ij}$ rather than ${\delta }_{ij}-h_{ij}$. Consistently redefining the signed strain leaves the physical effect unchanged.

A short rigid nonrotating guide constrains two freely sliding beads to one axis $n$. In its parallel-propagated orthonormal frame, the axial geodesic deviation is $\ddot{L}=-R_{n0n0}L$. For a transverse gravitational wave, $R_{n0n0}=-ϵ{\ddot{h}}_{nn}/2$, so a wave incident after the beads are at rest changes the measured separation by $ϵh_{nn}{L}_0/2$ to first order. Transverse reaction forces do not supply an axial restoring force. Alignment with the propagation direction gives no first-order length change.

A gravitational wave in four-dimensional general relativity has two independent linear polarizations, conventionally called plus and cross. A rotation by angle $\vartheta$ in the transverse plane rotates their pair by $2\vartheta$.

Equal-amplitude plus polarization and cross polarization with a quarter-cycle phase difference form circularly polarized gravitational radiation. The principal transverse strain axes rotate by half the phase angle. An observer on the rotation axis of a circular binary sees this polarization; the sign distinguishes the handedness relative to a stated propagation direction.

A gravitational wave carrying the plus component relative to a chosen pair of transverse axes.

A transverse-traceless spatial tensor is orthogonal to its Fourier mode wavevector in each index and has zero trace. The transverse-traceless projector extracts this part. Trace terms and symmetrized coordinate-displacement gradients have no such part, explaining the linear gauge invariance of tensor cosmological perturbations.

A gravitational wave of plus polarization has opposite transverse strain or geodesic deviation eigenvalues along two fixed perpendicular axes. For a sinusoidal periodic function profile, the stretching and compressing roles alternate every half-period.

The cross polarization is the plus pattern rotated through $45$ degrees in the transverse plane.

The transverse-traceless projector maps a symmetric tensor to the part orthogonal to a chosen wavevector and with zero trace. It is the identity on physical gravitational-wave polarizations.

A polarization completeness relation expresses a projector as a sum of outer products of an orthonormal polarization basis. For transverse-traceless tensors, ${\sum }_s{ϵ}_{ij}^s{ϵ}_{mn}^{s\ast }$ is the transverse-traceless projector up to the chosen normalization.