Effects of a gravitational wave on relativistic particles

The interaction of a gravitational wave with a beam of relativistic particles leads to effects which can be observationally significant. It is found in fact, that if a beam of monochromatic light is scattered by these particles, the frequency shift of the scattered photons, as seen by a stationary observer, undergoes fluctuations, due to the presence of the gravitational waves, which are larger than the amplitude of these by the particle Lorentz factor. The actual motion of the beam under the effect of a train of gravitational waves is discussed. (author)