Energy and the Criteria for Radiation in General Relativity

Abstract

The Hamiltonian for general relativity obtained in a previous paper furnishes a definition of energy whose physical interpretation is direct, and which fulfills the conditions required of the energy in other physical systems. The energy can be expressed as a surface integral at spacial infinity in terms of the spacial components of the covariant metric tensor at any given time. Thus, the energy depends only on the minimal initial Cauchy data and may be evaluated in any coordinate system, provided this system can be made asymptotically rectangular. These statements remain valid when particles are coupled to the gravitational field. The criteria for existence of gravitational radiation are formulated in terms of the canonical variables and the stress-tensor. These criteria are identical to those used in electromagnetic theory. Some applications are discussed.