Similarity in the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner Mass from Brill and Teukolsky Initial Data Sets Beyond the Linear Approximation

Abstract: The two most common initial data for vacuum axisymmetric spacetimes are the Brill and Teukolsky gravitational waves. The subsequent numerical evolution of these data exhibits distinct properties mainly associated with the critical gravitational collapse. A possible way of understanding these differences is first to look at the linear level, where the Brill waves have a multipolar structure, while the Teukolsky waves have a quadrupolar structure. Despite being structurally distinct at the linear and nonlinear levels, we show that these gravitational wave initial data share an unexpected similarity related to the distribution of ADM mass as a function of the initial wave's amplitude. More specifically, both configurations satisfy a nonextensive relation, commonly seen in systems governed by long range interactions.