2006/05/01 by Donato Bini, Christian Cherubini, Andrea Geralico +2 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications #Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1142/s0218271806008498
published as Int.J.Mod.Phys.D15:737-758,2006 · Slightly modified version with respect to the published one [ International Journal of Modern Physics D, Vol. 15 pp. 737-758 (2006)] which unfortunately contains few (unespected) misprints
openalex publication_date 2006/05/01 · arxiv created 2006/08/04 · arxiv updated 2011/07/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The motion of massless spinning test particles is investigated using the Newman–Penrose formalism within the Mathisson–Papapetrou model extended to massless particles by Mashhoon and supplemented by the Pirani condition. When the "multipole reduction world line" lies along a principal null direction of an algebraically special vacuum space–time, the equations of motion can be explicitly integrated. Examples are given for some familiar space–times of this type in the interest of shedding some light on the consequences of this model.