Properties of a one-dimensional periodicity of the gravitational interaction

TL;DR

This paper explores the theoretical possibility of a one-dimensional gravitational crystal affecting an object's kinetic energy, potentially creating gravitational energy gaps similar to photonic band gaps.

Contribution

It introduces a formalism analogous to photonic crystals to describe gravitational interactions in a 1D periodic structure, proposing the concept of gravitational gaps.

Findings

Theoretical framework for 1D gravitational crystals

Prediction of gravitational energy gaps

Analogy with photonic crystal behavior

Abstract

We briefly discuss the possibility to describe with a formalism, analogous to the Bragg law and the transfer matrix method used for photonic crystals, the behaviour of the kinetic energy of an object travelling through a one-dimensional (1D) modulation of the gravitational interaction, i.e. a 1D gravitational crystal. We speculate that certain ranges of the kinetic energy of an object with mass m and speed v cannot travel through the crystal, giving rise to a gravitational gap.