Hamiltonian linearization of the rest-frame instant form of tetrad gravity in a completely fixed 3-orthogonal Gauge: A radiation Gauge for background-independent gravitational waves in a Post-Minkowskian Einstein spacetime (Q1878344)

This extensive work rests on and continues a series of papers by the authors on the so-called rest-frame instant form of the Hamiltonian ADM formulation of both metric and tetrad gravity. After giving a detailed list of the assumptions allowing for an ADM approach of (non-compact) isolated systems, a summary of this approach is given. In particular, in the tetrad version one finds canonical transformations leading to a separation between gauge variables and Dirac observables that have to satisfy 14 first-class constraints (10 are primary and 4 secondary), The gauge variables can be interpreted as describing generalized inertial effects and the Dirac observables generalized tidal effects. The effective Hamiltonian for the evolution is given by the ADM energy. Based on these results the authors define a Hamiltonian linearization of the vacuum canonical gravity theory in a completely fixed (non-harmonic) 3-orthogonal gauge: This linearization is background-independent, i.e., it avoids the splitting of the 4-metric in a background plus a perturbation. The authors succeed in solving all constraints of the linearized theory. This amounts to work in a well-defined post-Minkowskian Einstein space-time of the Christodoulou-Klainermann type. The Hamiltonian equations imply wave equations for the configuration parts of the two pairs of Dirac observables which replace the two polarizations of the TT harmonic gauge. After introducing matter, this would open the possibility to study the emission of gravitational waves by relativistic sources, e.g., in the case of relativistic motion in a weak-field regime. Finally, the authors study the geodesic equation and the geodesic deviation equation, where the letter is interesting in the context of the detection of gravitational waves.