Gravitational solitons in Levi-Civita spacetime

Abstract: Applying the Pomeransky inverse scattering method to the four-dimensional vacuum Einstein equation and using the Levi-Civita solution for a seed, we construct a cylindrically symmetric single-soliton solution. Although the Levi-Civita spacetime generally includes singularities on its axis of symmetry, it is shown that for the obtained single-soliton solution, such singularities can be removed by choice of certain special parameters. This single-soliton solution describes propagation of nonlinear cylindrical gravitational shock wave pulses rather than solitonic waves. By analyzing wave amplitudes and time-dependence of polarization angles, we provides physical description of the single-soliton solution.