The Momentum Four-Vector in the eψN Formalism and the Angular Momentum Imparted to Test Particles by Gravitational Waves

Since gravitational waves are solutions of Einstein’s field equations with a zero stress-energy tensor, the reality of these waves was questioned. To demonstrate it, the momentum imparted to test particles by such waves was evaluated. A closed form expression for this quantity was provided by Qadir and Sharif, using an extension of the pseudo-Newtonian formalism. That formalism carried with it the zero component of the momentum vector, which could not be interpreted as the energy imparted to the test particle. Sharif proposed that it may represent the angular momentum imparted to test particles by gravitational waves. In this paper it is shown that this interpretation is not valid. An alternative explanation has been provided. PACS: 04.20 Classical general relativity, 04.20.Cv-Fundamental problems and general formalism, 04.30 Gravitational waves: theory. Senior Associate, Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Itlay Permanent address: Department of Mathematics, Punjab University, LahorePakistan.