On the detection of gravitational radiation by its interaction with electromagnetic fields

Different experiments on the detection of gravitational waves through their interaction with the electromagnetic field are discussed and classified. The results of the treatment of phenomena by classical and quantum theory are compared. Three types of experiments are distinguished: A. Experiments where the electromagnetic field interacts with an elastic body and with the gravitational field. B. Experiments on the interaction of the electromagnetic field with the gravitational field in the vicinity of a source without the presence of an elastic body. C. Experiments determining the changes in frequencies resulting from the interaction of the two fields near a source. The phenomena are initially treated using the usual point approximation of light rays in the gravitational field, then the propagation of external electromagnetic fields according to Maxwell's theory is introduced in linear approximation, and finally, it is shown how the situation is modified if energy exchange between the fields occurs in quanta. The difference is particularly evident in the gravitational radiation of continuous trains of electromagnetic waves in the vicinity of a source. The treatment is adapted as closely as possible to classical theory, and only a minimal understanding of quantum gravitational field theory is required.