Gravitational Waves: Effects and Trajectories

This lecture covers the physical effects of gravitational waves on nearby geodesics, including the deflection angle and spatial distance calculations, as well as the impact on photon trajectories. It also delves into the properties of plane gravitational waves and the behavior of linearized transverse waves in vacuum. The instructor discusses the propagation of gravitational waves, their traceless nature, and the Einstein equations governing their behavior. The lecture concludes with a detailed analysis of the physical effects of gravitational waves on geodesics, emphasizing the leading-order effects and the implications for nearby objects.