Figure 10: The six polarization modes for gravitational waves permitted in any metric theory of
gravity. Shown is the displacement that each mode induces on a ring of test particles. The wave
propagates in the 
direction. There is no displacement out of the plane of the picture. In (a),
(b), and (c), the wave propagates out of the plane; in (d), (e), and (f), the wave propagates in the
plane. In GR, only (a) and (b) are present; in massless scalar–tensor gravity, (c) may also be present.
direction. There is no displacement out of the plane of the picture. In (a),
(b), and (c), the wave propagates out of the plane; in (d), (e), and (f), the wave propagates in the
plane. In GR, only (a) and (b) are present; in massless scalar–tensor gravity, (c) may also be present.Clifford M. Will, "The Confrontation between General Relativity and
Experiment",
Living Rev. Relativity, 17 (2014), 4, doi:10.12942/lrr-2014-4, URL (accessed <date>): http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2014-4.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
© The author(s), except where otherwise noted.
Living Rev. Relativity, 17 (2014), 4, doi:10.12942/lrr-2014-4, URL (accessed <date>): http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2014-4.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
© The author(s), except where otherwise noted.