Electromagnetic radiation produces frame dragging

Abstract

It is shown that for a generic electrovacuum spacetime, electromagnetic radiation produces vorticity of worldlines of observers in a Bondi-Sachs frame. Such an effect (and the ensuing gyroscope precession with respect to the lattice) which is a reminiscence of generation of vorticity by gravitational radiation, may be linked to the nonvanishing of components of the Poynting and the super-Poynting vectors on the planes othogonal to the vorticity vector. The possible observational relevance of such an effect is commented.

Deconstructing Frame-Dragging

“…The relationship between electromagnetic radiation and vorticity has been unambiguously established in [54]. The corresponding calculations are quite cumbersome, and we shall not reproduce them here.…”

“…Having arrived at this point, we can now proceed to calculate the vorticity, the super-Poynting vector, and the electromagnetic Poynting vector. The resulting expressions are available in [54], and since they are extremely long here, we shall focus on the main conclusions emerging from them. First, the vorticity vector ( 9) is calculated for the four-vector u α given by (58).…”

“…The resulting expressions are deployed in [54]. Let us summarize the main information contained in such expressions.…”

Deconstructing Frame Dragging

“…Having arrived at this point we can now proceed to calculate the vorticity, the super-Poynting vector and the electromagnetic Poynting vector. The resulting expressions are available in [54], since they are extremely long, here we shall focus on the main conclusions emerging from them.…”

“…Since we are not operating in vacuum, P (C) α and P (R) α are different, we shall use P (C) α for the discussion. The resulting expressions are deployed in [54]. Let us summarize the main information contained in such expressions.…”