Quantum Cylindrical Waves and Sigma Models

TL;DR

This paper investigates cylindrical gravitational waves with general polarization and explores the associated sigma model, revealing its non-renormalizability in the standard perturbative framework.

Contribution

It provides a new perspective on the sigma model linked to cylindrical gravitational waves, highlighting its non-renormalizability.

Findings

The sigma model for these waves is not perturbatively renormalizable.

A complementary viewpoint to Niedermaier's analysis is developed.

Insights into the structure of gravitational wave models are gained.

Abstract

We analyze cylindrical gravitational waves in vacuo with general polarization and develop a viewpoint complementary to that presented recently by Niedermaier showing that the auxiliary sigma model associated with this family of waves is not renormalizable in the standard perturbative sense.