Past exam of the general relativity course of the University of Oxford 2021 2 a iii Solution 2026-10-25
No, for a uniform or otherwise axisymmetric disc in steady rotation. Although individual material elements accelerate, the mass density and mass current at every spatial point remain constant, and the mass quadrupole moment is time independent. There is no gravitational radiation. Axisymmetry of the material distribution is necessary for this conclusion: the source does not explicitly specify the disc's density. A counterexample to an unconditional answer is a disc with two equal dense spots at opposite radii; their rotating mass quadrupole moment produces gravitational waves at twice the rotation angular frequency.
Past exam of the general relativity course of the University of Oxford 2021 2 a ii Solution 2026-10-25
No, for steady rotation of the uniform sphere. Its mass quadrupole moment is zero by spherical symmetry; its rotating mass current is stationary when the rotation axis and rate are fixed. A stationary source does not emit gravitational waves. Rotation by itself is insufficient: a time-dependent nonaxisymmetric distribution, or another changing radiative multipole moment, is required. The conclusion concerns a sphere with the stated constant density and steady motion, rather than a deformed or time-varying rotator.