Abstract
I obtain an exact solution of Einstein's equations representing the gravitational field of a steady beam of light. Another exact solution representing two parallel beams shining in the same sense is also given; they do not interact. From a study of null geodesics I conclude that a uniform beam of light is gravitationally stable.
The exact solutions are plane-fronted gravitational waves. It seems that a large class of these waves have as their sources pulses and beams of light.
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Bonnor, W.B. The gravitational field of light. Commun.Math. Phys. 13, 163–174 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01645484
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01645484