Mass quadrupole moment ($Q_{ij}$)

The trace-free mass quadrupole moment of a mass distribution isIt is the leading time-dependent mass multipole that can radiate in general relativity: mass conservation removes monopole radiation, while momentum conservation removes mass-dipole radiation.

The second mass moment tensor records the quadratic spatial distribution of mass. Its trace-free part is the mass quadrupole moment $Q_{ij}=I_{ij}-{\delta }_{ij}{I}_{kk}/3$. The mechanical moment-of-inertia tensor instead equals $J_{ij}={\delta }_{ij}{I}_{kk}-I_{ij}$. A rigid rotation $L$ transforms the second mass moment tensor as $I(t)=L(t)I(0)L(t{)}^T$.

The scalar second mass moment is the trace of the second mass moment tensor. The moment of inertia about a specified axis instead integrates squared distance from that axis. For an isotropic distribution each axial moment of inertia is $2I/3$; the sum over three orthogonal axes is $2I$.

For a slowly moving isolated source, the leading gravitational-wave luminosity iswhere $Q_{ij}$ is the trace-free mass quadrupole moment.

For a rigid body rotating around its third principal axis, the anisotropic part of its second mass moment tensor oscillates at angular frequency $2\Omega$. The quadrupole formula gives the displayed luminosity. Equal transverse principal moments remove this rotating quadrupole and its leading gravitational wave emission.