Gravitational waves in $f(Q)$ non-metric gravity via geodesic deviation

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Capozziello, Salvatore, Capriolo, Maurizio, Nojiri, Shin'ichi
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Capozziello, Salvatore
Capriolo, Maurizio
Nojiri, Shin'ichi
author_facet Capozziello, Salvatore
Capriolo, Maurizio
Nojiri, Shin'ichi
contents We investigate gravitational waves in the $f(Q)$ gravity, i.e., a geometric theory of gravity described by a non-metric compatible connection, free from torsion and curvature, known as symmetric-teleparallel gravity. We show that $f(Q)$ gravity exhibits only two massless and tensor modes. Their polarizations are transverse with helicity equal to two, exactly reproducing the plus and cross tensor modes typical of General Relativity. In order to analyze these gravitational waves, we first obtain the deviation equation of two trajectories followed by nearby freely falling point-like particles and we find it to coincide with the geodesic deviation of General Relativity. This is because the energy-momentum tensor of matter and field equations are Levi-Civita covariantly conserved and, therefore, free structure-less particles follow, also in $f(Q)$ gravity, the General Relativity geodesics. Equivalently, it is possible to show that the curves are solutions of a force equation, where an extra force term of geometric origin, due to non-metricity, modifies the autoparallel curves with respect to the non-metric connection. In summary, gravitational waves produced in non-metricity-based $f(Q)$ gravity behave as those in torsion-based $f(T)$ gravity and it is not possible to distinguish them from those of General Relativity only by wave polarization measurements. This shows that the situation is different with respect to the curvature-based $f(R)$ gravity where an additional scalar mode is always present for $f(R)\neq R$.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_06424
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Gravitational waves in $f(Q)$ non-metric gravity via geodesic deviation
Capozziello, Salvatore
Capriolo, Maurizio
Nojiri, Shin'ichi
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
High Energy Physics - Theory
We investigate gravitational waves in the $f(Q)$ gravity, i.e., a geometric theory of gravity described by a non-metric compatible connection, free from torsion and curvature, known as symmetric-teleparallel gravity. We show that $f(Q)$ gravity exhibits only two massless and tensor modes. Their polarizations are transverse with helicity equal to two, exactly reproducing the plus and cross tensor modes typical of General Relativity. In order to analyze these gravitational waves, we first obtain the deviation equation of two trajectories followed by nearby freely falling point-like particles and we find it to coincide with the geodesic deviation of General Relativity. This is because the energy-momentum tensor of matter and field equations are Levi-Civita covariantly conserved and, therefore, free structure-less particles follow, also in $f(Q)$ gravity, the General Relativity geodesics. Equivalently, it is possible to show that the curves are solutions of a force equation, where an extra force term of geometric origin, due to non-metricity, modifies the autoparallel curves with respect to the non-metric connection. In summary, gravitational waves produced in non-metricity-based $f(Q)$ gravity behave as those in torsion-based $f(T)$ gravity and it is not possible to distinguish them from those of General Relativity only by wave polarization measurements. This shows that the situation is different with respect to the curvature-based $f(R)$ gravity where an additional scalar mode is always present for $f(R)\neq R$.
title Gravitational waves in $f(Q)$ non-metric gravity via geodesic deviation
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.06424