A continuous Riemann–Hilbert problem for colliding plane gravitational waves

We present the foundations of a new solution technique for the characteristic initial value problem (IVP) of colliding plane gravitational waves. It has extensive similarities to the approach of Alekseev and Griffiths in 2001, but we use an inverse scattering method with a Riemann–Hilbert problem (RHP), which allows for a transformation to a continuous RHP with a solution given in terms of integral equations for non-singular functions. Ambiguities in this procedure lead to the construction of a family of spacetimes containing the solution to the IVP. Therefore the described technique also serves as an interesting solution generating method. The procedure is exemplified by extending the Szekeres class of colliding wave spacetimes with 2 additional real parameters. The obtained solution seems to feature a limiting case of a new type of impulsive waves, which are circularly polarised. (paper)