Survey of cosmological models with gravitational, scalar and electromagnetic waves

This paper gives an overview and reviews some recent investigations of anisotropic and inhomogeneous models. A class of models, which admit an Abelian two-parameter group of isometries, is considered in detail. Within this class of models we present exact solutions of the Einstein field equations. These solutions describe inhomogeneous cosmological models containing gravitational, scalar and electromagnetic waves. The solutions are used to study the effect of the symmetry breaking in corresponding Bianchi models. The nonlinear dynamics of primordial inhomogeneities is considered. The global evolution of the inhomogeneous models considered is also investigated. Finally we discuss the validity of various assumptions, used in the earlier treatments of inhomogeneous models.