Interaction of Electromagnetic field with a Gravitational wave in Minkowski

and de-Sitter space-time.

Akash Patel, and Arundhati Dasgupta

Physics and Astronomy, University of Lethbridge,
4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, Canada T1K 3M4.∗

Abstract
It is important to re-examine some of the interactions of gravitational waves with matter due to the recent discovery
of the waves in LIGO. In a previous paper with Morales, interaction of gravitational waves was studied with scalar and
arXiv:2108.01788v1 [gr-qc] 3 Aug 2021

neutrino fields in Minkowski space-time. In this paper, we find that Electromagnetic waves have a similar interaction
with gravitational wave in a flat background, and we comment on the implications of this for a gravitational wave
detector. Primordial gravitational waves were generated in the early universe and thus it is important to study
interaction of the gravitational waves in cosmological backgrounds. In this paper we discuss the interaction of
electromagnetic waves and gravitational waves in a de-Sitter background. We find that the Electromagnetic wave is
perturbed and modulated. This result is new and will be useful in studying inhomogeneities in Cosmic Microwave
Background.

1
INTRODUCTION

In the recent years gravitational wave detection with LIGO [1] has opened a new window for the study
of the universe. Gravitational waves from distant events are arriving on earth and are being studied and
analyzed using the LIGO detector. The Space Laser Interferometer will also be functional in the near future.
In this circumstance, it is important to study the interaction of gravitational waves with matter, and predict
new observations. Further, primordial gravitational waves have not been detected yet and new interactions
might shed some light on the stochastic relics from early universe cosmology. For recent observations on the
background gravitational waves see the NanoGrav experiment [2]. In this paper we analyze and confirm a
perturbation for electromagnetic (EM) waves induced by gravitational waves, previously observed for scalars
and neutrinos in [3] and in [4, 5]. We discuss resonant interactions, and if this new ‘frequency’ mode as
predicted can be detected in current detectors. Although our results are similar to [4, 5], the analysis
of resonance is different. We find no interactions when the gravitational waves and the EM waves are
propagating in the same direction. When the waves are anti-parallel or at an angle, solutions are obtained
for the perturbation, and we discuss the resultant EM wave. We find that the initial plane wave of the EM
radiation changes direction and flows at an angle to the initial wave. The shape of the wavefront is also
perturbed. However, the perturbation is very weak compared to the initial wave. The perturbation shows
the ‘phase shift’ which can be identified with that causing the interference pattern observed in LIGO. In
addition we predict a new mode, which can be observed if the frequency of the EM wave is of the order of
the frequency of the gravitational wave. In the current detectors, the frequency of the EM laser is about 1014
Hz and the frequency of the gravitational wave ∼ 1 − 100 Hz. Therefore, the EM frequency dominates in the
observations. The work on designing an experiment to detect the mode is in progress with Maher [6].
In this paper we also discuss the interaction of gravitational waves with EM waves in a conformally
flat cosmological background. We solve for the Maxwell’s equation in the background of conformal de-Sitter
space-time. We take this particular cosmology as this is a candidate space-time for early universe inflationary
scenario, and also for maximally symmetric space-times with a positive cosmological constant. We find that
the EM perturbations grow quadratically with conformal time, and change in direction. We comment on the
plausible detection of this perturbation as a inhomogeneity in the current cosmic microwave background.
In the next section we discuss the interaction of the EM waves with gravitational waves in a flat space-
time. We find the perturbations and analyze the Poynting vector. We discuss the interactions when the
waves are perpendicular to each other, and when they are in the same or opposite direction. In the third
section we discuss the interaction of the EM waves with a gravitational wave in de-Sitter space background.
We show that the resultant perturbations grow quadratically in conformal time whereas the zeroeth order
gauge fields grow linearly in time. The fourth section is a conclusion. In this paper we work in the units of
2
Newton’s constant G and speed of light c, G = c = 1.

INTERACTION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES WITH GRAVITATIONAL WAVES IN

MINKOWSKI SPACE-TIME

In this section we study the interaction of a gravitational wave travelling in the z-direction, and an
electromagnetic wave in the x-direction. Due to the perpendicular nature of the direction of propagation, in
linear analysis these waves should propagate independently of each other. However, due to the nature of the
interactions of the electromagnetic wave and the gravitational wave, we find using a perturbation analysis
that the electromagnetic wave gets non-trivially changed. We refrain from studying the back reaction of
the electromagnetic wave on the gravitational wave, but that can also be found. At this time, we simply
find the perturbation of the EM wave and predict how this perturbation might be detected at the LIGO
detector. Initially we assume that there is a gravitational wave hµν with polarizations h+ , h× propagating at
a frequency ωg in the z-direction. The amplitudes are taken as A+ and A× . The gravitational wave metric
is taken as [7]
 
−1 0 0 0
 
 0 1 + A cos(ω (z − t)) A cos(ω (z − t)) 0 
+ g × g
(1)
 
 
 0
 A× cos(ωg (z − t)) 1 − A+ cos(ωg (z − t)) 0 

0 0 0 1
The electromagnetic wave is taken to be in the x -direction such that the magnetic field is

~ = B0y Re{eiωe (x−t) }ŷ

B (2)

where B0y is its amplitude, and ωe is its frequency. In the Lorenz Gauge the gauge field is found to be

~ = − 1 B0y sin(ωe x − ωe t) ẑ.

A (3)
ωe
The field strength is (µ, ν = 0, 1, 2, 3)
Fµν = ∂µ Aν − ∂ν Aµ . (4)

The non-zero components of the EM tensor is F03 and (we use the notation t,x,y,z and 0,1,2,3 to represent
the same coordinate directions interchangeably according to the convenience of the equations.)

F13 = −B0y cos(ωe (x − t)). (5)

We solve the Maxwell’s equation in the background of the gravitational wave which is as following:
1 √
√ ∂µ −gg µα g νβ Fαβ = 0.


(6)
−g
3
Using g µν = η µν − hµν , the inverted metric, we get from the above

η µα η νβ ∂µ Fαβ − ∂µ (hµα )η νβ Fαβ − ∂µ (hνα )η µβ Fαβ − hµα η νβ ∂µ Fαβ − η µα hνβ ∂µ Fαβ = 0. (7)

We then assume a perturbation of the initial gauge field Aµ = Āµ + õ (where Ā represents the wave without
the gravitational wave and à is the perturbation) and keep terms to linear order in à and h in Equation(7).
Using the Lorenz gauge conditions ∂µ Aµ = 0 and ∂ µ hµα = 0; the perturbation equations are

Ã0 = 0 (8)
Ã1 = (∂3 h11 )F31 = −A+ B0y ωg sin(ωg z − ωg t) cos(ωe x − ωe t) (9)
Ã2 = ∂3 (h21 F13 ) = A× B0y ωg sin(ωg z − ωg t + δ) cos(ωe x − ωe t) (10)

Ã3 = h11 ∂1 F13 = A+ B0y ωe sin(ωe x − ωe t) cos(ωg z − ωg t). (11)

(Aµ is the relativistic d’Alembertian acting on the gauge field.)

Note that the inhomogeneous differential equations in the linearized approximation is natural, as we are
solving for Maxwell’s equation in curved geometry. The curvature of the geometry provides the ‘driving
force’ for the perturbations. The inhomogeneous terms can be interpreted as a ‘current source’ proportional
to the B0y A+ , product of the EM wave and the gravitational wave. This also signifies that if the initial
EM wave is zero, there is no perturbation at all. The linearized approximation has been discussed in [8],
in analogy of a circuit, however, we differ from their analysis. In [8] it has been claimed that there has to
be an ‘external source of emf’ to justify the inhomogeneous terms in the above equations. However, circuits
are known to have the capacity to generate their own emf, e.g. ‘self inductance’ . In a similar analogy,
we can see that the there can be self generation of emf or ‘back emf’ in the circuit due to the curvature
of the background. Therefore linearized approximations which give source terms for the perturbations can
be used to solve for interactions, and some of the answers obtained in [8] using Eikonal approximation is
similar qualitatively to the results of this paper. It remains that experimental detection of the new results
will confirm correctness of the approximations.
The perturbation solution is obtained using the methods of [3] and as outlined in the Appendix1. The
x-component is found to be
B0y A+ h q
2 + ω2) −
q
2 + ω 2 sin(ω x + ω z) cos(t
q
Ãx = − p 2 (ωe + ωg ) cos(ωe x + ω g z) sin(t ωe g ω g e e g ωg2 + ωe2 )
4ωe ωg + ωe2
q q q
+ (ωe − ωg ) cos(ωe x − ωg z) sin(t ωe2 + ωg2 ) − ωg2 + ωe2 sin(ωe x − ωg z) cos(t ωe2 + ωg2 )
q q i
+ ωe2 + ωg2 sin(ωe x + ωg z − t(ωg + ωe )) + ωe2 + ωg2 sin(ωe x − ωg z − t(ωe − ωg )) . (12)

The solution for Ãy would be the same as this, except for −A+ → A× and ωg z → ωg z +δ . The solution for Ãz
will also be the similar; which we can obtain by using phase shifts of ωe x → ωe x + π/2 and ωg z → ωg z + π/2
4
 p 2 p
and in the coefficient −B0y A+ /(4ωe ωe + ωg2 ) → B0y A+ /(4ωg ωe2 + ωg2 ). Note that these solutions are
obtained with the boundary condition that the perturbations are zero at time t = 0.
It is interesting to see that there are terms of the form sin(ωe x±ωg z−t(ωg ±ωe )) which can be interpreted as
causation of ‘phase shifts’, and would lead to interference patterns, when incident on a detector with another
p
EM wave. But there are also terms of the form cos( ωe2 + ωg2 t) which see a new frequency ‘mode’ in the
solution. These terms have been observed previously in [4, 5]. Question is why haven’t they been observed
in the LIGO? The simple answer is that the LASER frequency used in the LIGO or ωe ∼ 1014 Hz, and the
gravitational wave frequency is of the order of 1 − 100 Hz. Therefore the frequency of the new mode ω ∼ ωe
and therefore one has to modify the details of the experiment to be able to see the mode. This is under
investigation in [6]. Note that the above perturbations amplitude is inversely proportional to ωe and thus
bringing down the frequency of the EM wave in the interferometer will increase the strength of the signal.
The z-component of the gauge potential, which represents a EM wave perturbation over the original has an
amplitude which is proportional to 1/ωg and therefore gives rise to a bigger amplitude wave than the other
components. Methods to detect the perpendicular component of the Poynting vector is under investigation
~ and the B
in [6]. The perturbed E ~ components of the fields from the above gauge potentials can be derived

by computing
~
∂ Ã
~
Ẽ = − (13)
∂t
and we can see that the perturbed field has components in all three dimensions. E.g. the x-component is
(the y and z components can similarly be found)

B0y A+ h q q q
Ẽx = (ωe + ωg ) cos(ωe x + ωg z) cos(t ωe2 + ωg2 ) + ωg2 + ωe2 sin(ωe x + ωg z) sin(t ωg2 + ωe2 )
4ωe
q q q
+ (ωe − ωg ) cos(ωe x − ωg z) cos(t ωe2 + ωg2 ) + ωg2 + ωe2 sin(ωe x − ωg z) sin(t ωe2 + ωg2 )
− (ωg + ωe ) sin(ωe x + ωg z − t(ωg + ωe )) − (ωe − ωg ) sin(ωe x − ωg z − t(ωe − ωg ))] . (14)

The Magnetic Field is:

~ =∇
B ~ × A.
~ (15)

~ field is hence given by

The newly generated z-component of the B

∂ Ãy
B̃z = (16)
∂x

5
 B A h q
B̃z = p 0y2 × 2 −(ωe + ωg ) sin(ωe x + ωg z + δ) sin(t ωe2 + ωg2 )
4 ωg + ωe
q q
− ωg + ωe cos(ωe x + ωg z + δ) cos(t ωg2 + ωe2 )
2 2

q q q
− (ωe − ωg ) sin(ωe x − ωg z + δ) sin(t ωe2 + ωg2 ) − ωg2 + ωe2 cos(ωe x − ωg z + δ) cos(t ωe2 + ωg2 )
q q i
+ 2 2 2 2
ωe + ωg cos(ωe x + ωg z + δ − t(ωg + ωe )) + ωe + ωg cos(ωe x − ωg z + δ − t(ωe − ωg )) . (17)

The x,y components can be similarly derived.

To find the propagation of the perturbed EM field, we calculate the Poynting vector of the perturbation
solution, as the T 0i components of the Energy Momentum tensor. The EM energy momentum tensor is given
by  
µν 1 µα λν 1 µν αβ
T =− g Fαλ F + g Fαβ F . (18)
4π 4
This formula is taken from [9] but differs from that by a minus sign as we use a metric of signature (-,+,+,+)
instead of (+,-,-,-) as in that book. Setting specific indices, one gets the components as:
1
T 01 = ((1 − h+ )((1 + h+ )F02 F21 + F31 F03 )) (19)
4π
1
T 02 = ((1 − h+ )(1 + h+ )F12 F01 + (1 + h+ )F32 F02 ) (20)
4π
1
T 03 = ((1 − h+ )F13 F01 + (1 + h+ )F23 F02 ) . (21)
4π
At the linearized level, the energy momentum non-zero components are in the original x-direction, and in
the z-direction. If we compute them explicitly then
1  2
T 0x = B cos2 (ωe x − ωe t)(1 − A+ cos(ωg z − ωg t))
4π 0y !
2 A cos(ω x − ω t)
B0y + e e ωg3 − 2ωe3 − ωe2 ωg
+ { sin(ωe x + ωg z) sin(||ω||t)
4ωe ωg ||ω||
!
ωe2 ωg − 2ωe3 − ωg3
sin(ωe x − ωg z) sin(||ω||t) + ωg2 − 2ωe2 − ωg ωe cos(ωe x + ωg z) cos(t||ω||)


−
||ω||
ωg2 − 2ωe2 + ωg ωe cos(ωe x − ωg z) cos(t||ω||) + ωg2 − 2ωe2 + ωg ωe cos(ωe x − ωg z − t ω̃)



−

ωg2 − 2ωe2 − ωe ωg cos(ωe x + ωz z − t ω̄) }]

− (22)
p 2
Where we have used the notation ||ω|| = ωe + ωg2 and ω̄ = ωe + ωg and ω̃ = ωe − ωg . The other non-zero
component is
2 A
B0y +
T 0z = − cos(ωe x − ωe t) [ω̄ cos(ωe x + ωg z) cos(||ω||t) + ω̃ cos(ωe x − ωg z) cos(||ω||t)
16πωe
+ ||ω|| (sin(ωe x + ωg z) + sin(ωe x − ωg z)) sin(||ω||t) − ω̄ cos(ωe x + ωg z − tω̄) − ω̃ cos(ωe x − ωg z − tω̃) ] .(23)

We make a field plot of the Poynting vector perturbations in Figure (1) to show that there should be
significant deviation from the initial direction if one is able to adjust the wave frequencies accordingly, and
6
 Figure 1: Plot of the Poynting vector in time

measure the perturbations. We again take the frequencies to be ωe = 4Hz, ωg = 3Hz. The plots are of various
instants of the field flow of the EM field momentum.
The plot of the time snapshots as shown above Figure (1) of the perturbation Poynting vector shows
that the field fluctuates in direction. To see if the fluctuations average to zero, we take a time integral of
p
the momentum over the time period of the ‘frequency mode ωe2 + ωg2 . The time average Poynting vector
R 2π/||ω|| 0i
T̄ 0i = 0 T dt plot in Figure (2) shows that there is an over all bending of the EM wave at an angle
which can be detected in a Maser detector [6].
We further examine propagation of waves in the same direction, and find that there is no interaction. We
~ = B0y cos(ωe z − ωe t)ŷ and the corresponding Ax and Ex fields, and the
take a magnetic field of the form B

7
 Figure 2: Time Average Poynting vector Field

equation (7) shows that there is no source for the perturbation fields. A study of the interaction of the waves
in anti-parallel directions shows that there is interaction. For this we take the magnetic field to be of the
form B~ = B0y cos(ωe z + ωe t)ŷ.

For the example of waves travelling in the opposite direction we have this form of the perturbation:
  
A + B 0y ω 1 1 1
A˜x = sin(ω̄t + ω̄z) + sin(ω̃t + ω̃z)
2 ω̄ + ω̃ ω̄ ω̃
 
1 1 1
+ sin(−ω̄t + ω̄z) − sin(−ω̃t + ω̃z)
ω̄ − ω̃ ω̄ ω̃
 
1 1 1
− sin(ω̄z − ω̃t) + sin(ω̃z − ω̄t)
(ω̄ + ω̃) ω̄ ω̃
 
1 1 1
+ sin(ω̃z − ω̄t) − sin(ω̄z − ω̃t) . (24)
ω̄ − ω̃ ω̃ ω̄

where ω̄ = ωg +ωe , ω̃ = ωg −ωe and the Ãy , Ãz component can also be similarly derived. When ωg = ωe = ω
the exact solution gives us
1
Ãx = A+ B0y [4(ωt − sin(2ωt)) + sin(2ω(z + t)) + sin(2ω(z − t)) − 2 sin(2ωz)] (25)
8ω
There is a linear term in the perturbed mode, but we can trust the solution as far as the approximation
~ and B
Ãx  Āx is true. Also as the E ~ fields do not see the linear mode, the ‘resonance’ which is characterized

by runaway amplitude does not exist for the EM wave interaction with the gravitational wave.
8
INTERACTION IN DE-SITTER BACKGROUND

It is expected that gravitational waves were generated in the early universe. The remnants of the EM
radiation from that time are manifest in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) which is thermalized.
Primordial gravitational waves are also there in the background, but too weak to be detected yet [2], indirect
evidence of the waves are expected in the B-modes of the CMB. However, the study of interaction of gravita-
tional waves and matter in cosmological background is yet to be explored in details. In this paper we study
the interaction of EM fields with gravitational waves in the background of conformal de-Sitter background.
For this particular study we take the cosmological metric with a flat spatial slice, and study the system in a
conformal time coordinate frame. In this frame, the metric of space-time is given by

ds2 = a2 (τ ) −dτ 2 + dx2 + dy 2 + dz 2

(26)

where the scale factor is a(τ ) and τ is conformal time. The conformal time is related to co-moving time
t as −(1/H) exp(−Ht) = τ , where H is the Hubble constant. The scale factor is a(τ ) = −1/Hτ . Note
that when t → ∞ ; τ = 0 therefore conformal time is negative −∞ < τ < 0 as −∞ < t < ∞. However,
for a careful analysis of the cosmology; one must include the volume factor which is a function of the scale
factor, and the scale factor goes from 0 to ∞ as expected from a big-bang scenario. a(τ → −∞) → 0
beginning ; and expanding a(τ → 0− ) → ∞ as expected from the cosmological arrow of time . We begin
with solving the EM waves in the cosmological metric. This gives the solutions as given they are of the form
~
Āµ (τ, ~x) = Āµ (τ ) eike ·~x . Where k~e is the momentum wave vector of the EM field and ke = k 2 + k 2 + k 2 .
p
ex ey ez

We use Lorenz gauge and the solutions to the Maxwell’s equations in the de-Sitter background are as follows:
 1/2
2
Ā0 (τ ) = τ sin(ke τ )
πke
 1/2
2
Ā1 (τ ) = P1 sin(ke τ ) + Q1 cos(ke τ ) − ike1 τ cos(ke τ )
πke3
 1/2
2
Ā2 (τ ) = P2 sin(ke τ ) + Q2 cos(ke τ ) − ike2 τ cos(ke τ )
πke3
 1/2
2
Ā3 (τ ) = P3 sin(ke τ ) + Q3 cos(ke τ ) − ike3 τ cos(ke τ ) (27)
πke3
Pi , Qi are constants, fixed by the boundary conditions. In presence of the gravitational wave the background
is of the form:
ds2 = a2 (τ ) −dτ 2 + dxa dxb + hab dxa dxb .


(28)

The gravitational waves are of the same polarizations as in flat space-time, the h+ and the h× . The exact
form of the wave functions are different. If we take a wave propagating in the z-direction, then the

h+ (z, τ ) = A+ (ωg τ − i) e−iωg τ eiωg z (29)

9
where ωg is the frequency of the gravitational wave. For this paper, we discuss the effect of the h+ mode on
the EM fields. For details of the solution for the gravitational wave in de-Sitter background see [10, 11].
The perturbation equations for the gauge fields in the cosmological wave background with a gravitational
wave are (as the Maxwell’s equation are conformally invariant, one can take the equations from the previous
section):
η αµ η βν ∂β Fµν = η αµ hβν ∂β Fµν + hαµ η βν ∂β Fµν + η βν Fµν ∂β hαµ (30)

In addition to the above one has to impose the Lorenz gauge condition for the EM gauge field ∇µ Aµ = 0.
The equation for the 0th component of the perturbation can be obtained by setting α = 0. This gives from
Equation (30)
η 00 η βν ∂β F̃0ν = η 00 hβν ∂β F̄0ν . (31)

(where F̃ is the perturbation and F̄ is the background.) Setting α = i = 1, 2, 3 one gets for the LHS of
Equation (30):

η ii η βν ∂β Fiν = η ii η 00 ∂i ∂0 A0 − η ii η 00 ∂02 + η jj ∂j2 Ai + η ii η jj ∂i ∂j Aj

(32)
= η ii η 00 ∂i ∂0 A0 − η ii (Ai ) + η ii ∂i (2A0 H + ∂0 A0 − h+ (∂2 A2 − ∂1 A1 ) + h× (∂1 A2 + ∂2 A1 ))(33)

In the second equation we have used the Lorenz gauge condition ∇µ Aµ = 0. This gives for Equation (30)
ȧ
(H = a
is the Hubble’s parameter)

−η ii Ai +η ii 2H∂i A0 = η ii ∂i (h+ (∂2 A2 −∂1 A1 ))−η ii ∂i (h× (∂1 A2 +∂2 A1 ))+η ii hβν ∂β Fiν +hiµ η βν ∂β Fµν +η βν Fµν ∂β hiµ .
(34)
Using the example of the EM field where the constants Pi , Qi are zero, we get the non-zero components
of the Electric field strength to be
 1/2
kei 2 ~
F̄0i = −i cos(ke τ )eike ·~x .
ke πke

This boundary condition of this form, produces spontaneous ‘EM radiation’. Using that one gets for the
perturbations in the gravitational wave background as (without the h× ) :
For the zeroeth component one has

Ã0 − 2ḢÃ0 − 2H∂0 Ã0 = ∂0 h+ (∂1 Ā1 − ∂2 Ā2 ) + h+ (∂12 − ∂22 )Ā0 (35)
 1/2
2 ~
= A+ e−iωg τ (ωg τ )eiωg z (−iωg )(ke1
2 2
− ke2 ) 3
τ cos(ke τ )eike ·~x
πke
 1/2
−iωg τ 2 ~
−A+ e iωg z 2 2
(ωg τ − i) e (ke1 − ke2 ) τ sin(ke τ )eike ·~x (36)
πke

10
We assume motivated from the RHS of the above equation the Ã(τ, ~x) = Ã(τ ) eik̃·x where ~k̃ = ~kg + k~e .
~

Plugging this we get an equation for Ã0 which is a pure function of τ of the form

d2 Ã0 (τ ) 2 dÃ0 (τ ) 2 2
− + ( k̃ + )Ã0 (τ ) = −g(τ ) (37)
dτ 2 τ dτ τ2
where
 1/2
−iωg τ 2 2 2
g(τ ) = A+ e ωg τ (−iωg )(ke1 − ke2 ) τ cos(ke τ )
πke3
   1/2
−iωg τ i 2 2 2
−A+ e ωg τ 1 − (ke1 − ke2 ) τ sin(ke τ ). (38)
ωg τ πke
Using MAPLE we obtain the solution to the above equation as
Z Z !
τ cos(k̃τ )g(τ ) sin(k̃τ )g(τ )
Ã0 = C0 τ cos(k̃τ ) + D0 τ sin(k̃τ ) − sin(k̃τ ) dτ − cos(k̃τ ) dτ (39)
k̃ τ τ
p 2
where C0 , D0 are constants. We find the re-appearance of the ‘new mode’ frequencies of k̃ = kg + ke2
and the integrals can be obtained using MAPLE, and the answer is obtained in rather complicated form
given in the Appendix (A.53). Using MAPLE plot as a function of τ (using C0 = D0 = 0) we find that the
gravitational wave produces modulation over the shape of the unperturbed wave. Note this perturbation is
proportional to A+ and therefore much weaker than the original wave. We expect to study a way to make
these modulations detectable, and its effect on the CMB in the near future.
For the plot we use ke1 = 4, ke2 = 0, ωg = 3 and the frequency of output mode as k̃ = 5. The solution
from Equation (A.53) takes the following form:
  
4 4 (−i + 3)
Ã0 (τ ) ∼ C0 τ cos(5τ ) + D0 τ sin(5τ ) − √ A+ τ e−3iτ 2iτ + cos(4τ ) + sin(4τ ) (40)
2π 3 2
We have used the similarity sign as there can be some normalization constants. We then find the mode for
the propagation of the Ã1 component. The Equation for the Ã1 is found as

Ã1 = 2H∂1 Ã0 + h+ ∂12 Ā1 − h+ ∂0 F̄01 − F̄01 ∂0 h+ (41)

Using the same method as for the Ã0 we find that the time dependent part of the equation can be obtained
as:
 1/2
2 ike1 2
∂02 Ã1 (τ )+k̃ 2 Ã1 (τ ) 2
(ωg τ − i) + iωg2 τ cos(ke τ ) + (ωg τ − i)ke sin(ke τ ) e−iωg τ


= − (ike1 )Ã0 (τ )−A+ ke1
τ ke πke
(42)
As previously we take the example of ke1 = 4, ke2 = 0, ωg = 3 and find the following solution for Ã1 (τ ) gives
      
2A+ 1 13 i 1 25 2i
Ã1 (τ ) ∼ C1 cos(5τ ) + D1 sin(5τ ) − √ (1 − i) + iτ 2 + + τ sin(4τ ) + iτ − + cos(4τ )
2π 3 16 3 4 48 3
(43)
11
Figure 3: The perturbed Gauge field (real part) as a function of increasing conformal time, which show oscillation
in time as a response to the gravitational wave.

If we set ke2 = 0 then

Ã2 = 0 (44)

if we keep ke2 then the equation is similar to that for Ã1 . Further:
iωg
Ã3 (τ ) = −2H∂3 Ã0 + ∂3 h+ (∂2 Ā2 − ∂1 Ā1 ) ∼ −2 Ã0 + iωg e−iωg τ (ωg τ − i)(ke2
2 2
− ke1 )τ cos(ke τ ) (45)
τ

We can solve for Ã3 easily using MAPLE and we get:

    
2A+ −3iτ 3τ i 3 3 2 3
Ã3 (τ ) ∼ C3 cos(5τ ) + D3 sin(5τ ) − √ e − + + cos(4τ ) + − τ + + iτ sin(4τ ) (46)
2π 4 4 8 2 16
As expected, the fields grow, but unlike the zeroeth order solution, the perturbed gauge potential grows
as τ 2 . This is a significant result, and as the perturbation grows faster than the unperturbed Gauge field, the
physics of the perturbation will be important very quickly, and the perturbation approximation will break
down. In the above analysis however, we are simply comparing the functional form of the perturbations with
the zeroeth order, where the gauge field grows linearly with τ . In the plots the arrow of increasing conformal
time is not the same as the increase in cosmological scale factor. The cosmological arrow of time is different,
as a function of the conformal time a(τ ) = −1/Hτ , and the behaviour of the gauge fields will be interpreted
accordingly. However, what is interesting is that there is a clear distinct pattern which is repetitive in the
plots. The pattern can be identified by modding out the τ 2 growth. A typical sample of the perturbation
of Ã1 is given in the Figure (4). The pattern period is approximately ∼ 6.27s(±.02s) for each of the gauge
fields. The above can be identified with a frequency of ω = 2π/6.27Hz ≈ 1.001Hz. This is not surprising as
this is the same as the difference in frequency of the EM and the gravitational waves, and this is a natural
phenomena in the superposition of two waves. Here of course there is more to the story as the interaction
causes the amplitude to grow. The pattern is also different from that of a simple sinusoidal wave, and this
12
 Figure 4: Ã1 /τ 2 which identifies the time period of the pattern as 6.27 s, The plot is for τ = 20s..60s.

frequency represents the profile of the wave and its propagation in time. If we analyze this for realistic
situation then the typical EM frequency far exceeds the Gravitational wave frequency. To find any tangible
effect one has to use the radio frequency range of the CMB spectrum as in the flat space example. Further,
as there are no external sources for the EM fields due to the boundary condition Pi = Qi = 0, the EM
perturbations are generated spontaneously from the gravitational waves and the cosmological background.
This phenomena when quantized will correspond to particle creation in the cosmological background. Note
that the exact nature of the perturbation should be evaluated using the Green’s function for the EM field in
de-Sitter background as in [3]. The Green’s function can be found in [12], however, the calculations are much
more complicated than that obtained using Fourier decomposition as in the above. In this paper we have
shown that the perturbations on a EM wave induced by a gravitational wave can be calculated, however we
have to study the system in a more realistic situation, with the study of observables like the Poynting vector.
Further one has to study the effect of this interaction on the actual thermalization process and emergence of
the CMB if the inflationary scenario is true. This is work in progress.

CONCLUSION

In this paper, we studied the interaction of the EM wave with the gravitational wave and obtained some
interesting observations about this in two different backgrounds (i) Flat space-time, and (ii) De-sitter space.
Both of the calculations were done in the linearized approximations. In flat space-time, we find that the
EM wave deviates from its original direction when the waves have a perpendicular component, and the
perturbed EM wave has a new frequency. To detect both of these results we have to re-design an experiment
which is work in progress [6]. Further, in this paper, the boundary conditions as required in a realistic
interferometric set up [13] have to be discussed. However, as we observe to measure the new ‘frequency’ in
an earth experiment one has to use Masers and this is being investigated [6]. The work does however clear
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one aspect of the EM and gravitational wave interaction, and that is the fact that when the waves are in the
same direction, there is no interaction. When the waves are in opposite directions, there is an interaction,
which again is measurable in an interferometer. In the example of the EM and gravitational field interaction
in de-sitter space, we solve for the Fourier mode of the perturbation. We find that the Fourier mode grows
quadratically in conformal time which is different from the functional behaviour of the zeroeth order gauge
field which grows linearly. The frequency of the perturbed wave is affected by the gravitational wave, and
this should be observable when the frequencies are comparable. The remnants of this interactions have to be
found in the CMB. We just have to find a way to access them in the current day observations.
Aknowledgements: Note that most of the work appears in AP’s M. Sc. thesis. We would like to thank
the supervisory committee members Prof. Faraoni and Prof. Seyed-Mahmoud for their positive comments
on the work.

Appendix1

Here we describe the solution of a inhomogeneous wave equation as described in [3] Given a wave equation
for a unknown function φ(t, x)
φ(t, x) = h(t, x) (A.47)
∂φ(0,x)
with the boundary conditions φ(0, x) = 0 and ∂t
= 0 , the solution using Duhamel’s principle and
Kirchoff’s theorem is
h(t0 , x0 ) 3 0
Z
1
φ(t, x) = − dx (A.48)
4π r
where r = ||~x − x~0 ||, and using the causality restriction t0 = t − r (note the speed of light c=1). In the
derivations of the solutions as in Equation(12) the integrals which have been used are

sin(ωg z 0 − ωg t0 ) cos(ωe x0 − ωe t0 ) 3 0
Z
dx (A.49)
r

writing the exponential forms of the sines and cosines, we get integrals of the form
Z
I(x, t) = exp(i(ωg z 0 − ωg t0 )) exp(i(ωe x0 − ωe t0 ))rdr sin θdθdφ (A.50)

14
where we have taken the spherical measure. We then write z 0 = r cos θ + z, x0 = r sin θ cos φ + x, t0 = t − r in
the exponents and compute the integrals.
Z t Z π Z 2π
iωg (z−t) iωe (x−t)
I(x, t) = e e ei(ωg +ωe )r+iωg r cos θ eiωe r sin θ cos φ rdr sin θdθdφ
r=0 θ=0 φ=0
Z t Z π
= 2πeiωg (z−t) eiωe (x−t) ei(ωg +ωe )r+iωg r cos θ J0 (ωe r sin θ)r dr sin θdθ
r=0 θ=0
Z r=t
sin ||ω||r
= eiωg (z−t) eiωe (x−t) ei(ωg +ωe )r dr (A.51)
r=0 ||ω||
  
iωg (z−t) iωe (x−t) 2π i(ωg +ωe )t (ωg + ωe )
= e e −1 + e cos(||ω||t) − i sin(||ω||t) (A.52)
iωg ωe ||ω||

In the above we have used Gradshteyn Rhyzik (pages 491 & 722) [14] to compute the φ and the θ integral.
Computing all the terms in the integral of the exponential form, we get as the Real part of the solution
Equation(12).

Appendix2

The explicit formulas for the Gauge fields solved in the cosmological background.
 1/2
2 A+ τ exp(−iωg τ )ke
ke (ωg τ − 1)ke6

Ã0 ≈
πke ((k̃ − ke + ωg )2 (k̃
− ke − ωg )2 (k̃
+ k e + ωg )2 (k̃ + ke − ωg )2 )
 
+ (−τ + 2)ωg3 + 7iωg2 − 3k̃ 2 ωg τ + 3ik̃ 2 ke4

+ ((−τ − 4)ωg5 − 3iωg4 − 2k̃ 2 (τ + 2)ωg3 − 2ik̃ 2 ωg2 + 3k̃ 4 ωg τ − 3ik̃ 4 )ke2

+ (k̃ − ωg )2 ((τ + 2)ωg3 − 3iωg2 − k̃ 2 i)(k̃ + ωg )2 ) sin(ke τ ) + −i(2τ + 1)ke6 + (4τ + 1)iωg2 + 8ωg
   
2 3 1 2 3 2
+ 4ik̃ τ − ke − 2(k̃ − ωg ) (−ix + )ωg − 4ωg + i(τ + )k̃ ke2 + (k̃ 2 − ωg2 )3 i ) ωg2 cos(ke τ )) (] A.53)
4 2 2
4 2 2

∗ Electronic address: arundhati.dasgupta@uleth.ca; Electronic address: a.patel2@uleth.ca

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