Axial torsion waves in metric-affine gravity

We construct new explicit vacuum solutions of quadratic metric-affine gravity. The approach of metric-affine gravity in using an independent affine connection produces a theory with 10+64 unknowns, which implies admitting torsion and possible nonmetricity. Our spacetimes are generalisations of classical pp-waves, four-dimensional Lorentzian spacetimes which admit a nonvanishing parallel spinor field. We generalize this definition to metric compatible spacetimes with pp-metric and purely axial torsion. It has been suggested that one can interpret that the axial component of torsion as the Hodge dual of the electromagnetic vector potential. We compare these solutions with our previous results and other solutions of classical models describing the interaction of gravitational and neutrino fields.Comment: 6 pages. Proceedings of the MG14 Meeting on General Relativity, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy, 12 - 18 July 2015. Edited by: Massimo Bianchi (Universit\`a degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", Italy), Robert T Jantzen (Villanova University, USA), Remo Ruffini (International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics Network (ICRANet), Italy and University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy

Physical interpretation of pp-waves with axial torsion

We consider generalised pp-waves with purely axial torsion, which we previously showed to be new vacuum solutions of quadratic metric-affine gravity. Our analysis shows that classical pp-waves of parallel Ricci curvature should not be viewed on their own. They are a particular representation of a wider class of solutions, namely generalised pp-waves of parallel Ricci curvature. We compare our pp-waves with purely axial torsion to solutions of Einstein-Weyl theory, the classical model describing the interaction of gravitational and massless neutrino fields.Comment: 5 pages. Proceedings of the MG14 Meeting on General Relativity, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy, 12 - 18 July 2015. Edited by: Massimo Bianchi (Universit\`a degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", Italy), Robert T Jantzen (Villanova University, USA), Remo Ruffini (International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics Network (ICRANet), Italy and University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy

New vacuum solutions for quadratic metric–affine gravity

In this thesis we deal with quadratic metric–affine gravity, which is an alternative theory of gravity. We present new vacuum solutions for this theory and attempt to give their physical interpretation on the basis of comparison with existing classical models. These new explicit vacuum solutions of quadratic metric–affine gravity are constructed using generalised pp-waves. A classical pp-wave is a 4-dimensional Lorentz–ian spacetime which admits a non–vanishing parallel spinor field. We generalise this definition to metric compatible spacetimes with torsion, describe basic properties of such spacetimes and eventually use them to construct new solutions to the field equations of quadratic metric–affine gravity. The physical interpretation of these solutions we propose in this thesis is that these new solutions represent a conformally invariant metric–affine model for a massless elementary particle. We give a comparison with a classical model describing the interaction of gravitational and massless neutrino fields, namely Einstein-Weyl theory.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo