Impulsive spherical gravitational waves

Penrose's identification with warp provides the general framework for const ructing the continuous form of impulsive gravitational wave metrics. We pre sent the two-component spinor formalism for the derivation of the full fami ly of impulsive spherical gravitational wave metrics which brings out the p ower in identification with warp and leads to the simplest derivation of ex act solutions. These solutions of the Einstein vacuum field equations are o btained by cutting Minkowski space into two pieces along a null cone and re -identifying them with warp which is given by an arbitrary nonlinear holomo rphic transformation. Using two-component spinor techniques we construct a new metric describing an impulsive spherical gravitational wave where the v ertex of the null cone lies on a worldline with constant acceleration.