dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaOn possible skewon effects on light propagation
| Authors | Yuri N. Obukhov, Friedrich W. Hehl |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0409155 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0409155 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevD.70.125015 |
| Journal | Phys.Rev.D70:125015,2004 |
| License | http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/ |
Abstract
We start from a local and linear spacetime relation between the electromagnetic excitation and the field strength. Then we study the generally covariant Fresnel surfaces for light rays and light waves. The metric and the connection of spacetime are left unspecified. Accordingly, our framework is ideally suited for a search of possible violations of the Lorentz symmetry in the photon sector of the extended standard model. We discuss how the skewon part of the constitutive tensor, if suitably parametrized, influences the Fresnel surfaces and disturbs the light cones of vacuum electrodynamics. Conditions are specified that yield the reduction of the original quartic Fresnel surface to the double light cone structure (birefringence) and to the single light cone. Qualitatively, the effects of the real skewon field can be compared to those in absorbing material media. In contrast, the imaginary skewon field can be interpreted in terms of non-absorbing media with natural optical activity and Faraday effects. The astrophysical data on gamma-ray bursts are used for deriving an upper limit for the magnitude of the skewon field.
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"abstract": "We start from a local and linear spacetime relation between the\nelectromagnetic excitation and the field strength. Then we study the generally\ncovariant Fresnel surfaces for light rays and light waves. The metric and the\nconnection of spacetime are left unspecified. Accordingly, our framework is\nideally suited for a search of possible violations of the Lorentz symmetry in\nthe photon sector of the extended standard model. We discuss how the skewon\npart of the constitutive tensor, if suitably parametrized, influences the\nFresnel surfaces and disturbs the light cones of vacuum electrodynamics.\nConditions are specified that yield the reduction of the original quartic\nFresnel surface to the double light cone structure (birefringence) and to the\nsingle light cone. Qualitatively, the effects of the real skewon field can be\ncompared to those in absorbing material media. In contrast, the imaginary\nskewon field can be interpreted in terms of non-absorbing media with natural\noptical activity and Faraday effects. The astrophysical data on gamma-ray\nbursts are used for deriving an upper limit for the magnitude of the skewon\nfield.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0409155",
"authors": [
"Yuri N. Obukhov",
"Friedrich W. Hehl"
],
"categories": [
"physics.class-ph",
"gr-qc"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevD.70.125015",
"journal_ref": "Phys.Rev.D70:125015,2004",
"license": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
"title": "On possible skewon effects on light propagation",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0409155"
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