SEPARATION OF THE MASSLESS FIELD-EQUATIONS FOR ARBITRARY SPIN IN THE ROBERTSON-WALKER SPACE-TIME

The massless spin 2 free-field equation is studied in the Robertson-Wa lker space-time via the Newman-Penrose formalism and separated by usin g a Chandrasekhar-Teukolski method. The resulting temporal and angular equations are explicitly integrated. The radial equations are solved in the flat universe case. The closed universe case shows, in principl e, the existence of a discrete spectrum of the energy of the massless particles. In the general case of spin greater than 2 the massless fie ld equations are shown to be separable by induction. The separated equ ations admit the same recurrence structure and analog interpretation p roperties of the spin 2 and less than 2 cases. (C) 1996 American Insti tute of Physics.