Birefringence induced by pp-wave modes in an electromagnetically active dynamic aether

In the framework of the Einstein-Maxwell-aether theory we study the birefringence effect, which can occur in the pp-wave symmetric dynamic aether. The dynamic aether is considered to be latently birefringent quasi-medium, which displays this hidden property if and only if the aether motion is non-uniform, i.e., when the aether flow is characterized by the non-vanishing expansion, shear, vorticity or acceleration. In accordance with the dynamo-optical scheme of description of the interaction between electromagnetic waves and the dynamic aether, we shall model the susceptibility tensors by the terms linear in the covariant derivative of the aether velocity four-vector. When the pp-wave modes appear in the dynamic aether, we deal with a gravitationally induced degeneracy removal with respect to hidden susceptibility parameters. As a consequence, the phase velocities of electromagnetic waves possessing orthogonal polarizations do not coincide, thus displaying the birefringence effect. Two electromagnetic field configurations are studied in detail: longitudinal and transversal with respect to the aether pp-wave front. For both cases the solutions are found, which reveal anomalies in the electromagnetic response on the action of the pp-wave aether mode.Comment: 13 pages, 0 figures, list of references is modified, misprints eliminate

Relativistic nonlinear axion magnetohydrodynamics

The new nonlinear axionically extended version of the general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics is formulated. The self-consistent formalism of this theory is based on the introduction into the Lagrangian of the new unified scalar invariant, which is quadratic in the Maxwell tensor, and contains two periodic functions of the pseudoscalar (axion) field. The constructed unified invariant and the elaborated nonlinear theory as a whole, are invariant with respect to two symmetries: first, the discrete symmetry associated with the properties of the axion field; second, the Jackson's SO(2) type symmetry intrinsic for the electromagnetism. The subsystem of the master equations, which describes the velocity four-vector of the hydrodynamic flow, is constructed in the framework of Eckart's theory of viscous heat-conducting fluid. The axionically extended nonlinear Faraday, Gauss and Ampere equations are supplemented by the ansatz about the large electric conductivity of the medium, which is usually associated with vanishing of the electric field. We have suggested two essentially new nonlinear models, in the framework of which the anomalous electric conductivity is being compensated by the appropriate behavior of the finite pseudoscalar (axion) field, providing the electric field in the magnetohydrodynamic flow to be finite (either to be proportional to the magnetic field, or to the angular velocity of the medium rotation)Comment: 12 pages, 0 figure