The space-time model of an impulsive light-like signal is a singular null hypersurface on which the Riemann curvature tensor exhibits a Dirac delta function singularity. In cataclysmic astrophysical events, such as supernovae and collisions of neutron stars, the final explosion produces a burst of matter travelling with the speed of light accompanied by a burst of gravitational radiation. These are the constituents of a general impulsive light-like signal. Such signals can also be produced as recoil effects and when compact objects such as black holes or neutron stars are boosted to the speed of light.
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Last updated April 29, 2004. This page was created and is maintained by Stephen Wills (s.wills@ucc.ie).