Classification of the Lie and Noether point symmetries for the Wave and the Klein-Gordon equations in pp-wave spacetimes

Abstract: We perform a classification of the Lie and Noether point symmetries for the Klein-Gordon and for the wave equation in pp-wave spacetimes. To perform this analysis we reduce the problem of the determination of the point symmetries to the problem of existence of conformal killing vectors on the pp-wave spacetimes. We use the existing results of the literature for the isometry classes of the pp-wave spacetimes and we determine in each class the functional form of the potential in which the Klein-Gordon equation admits point symmetries and Noetherian conservation law. Finally we derive the point symmetries of the wave equation and we find that the maximum Noether algebra has dimension seven, that is the case of plane wave spacetimes.