5,877 research outputs found
Quantization and simulation of Born-Infeld non-linear electrodynamics on a lattice
Born-Infeld non-linear electrodynamics arises naturally as a field theory
description of the dynamics of strings and branes. Most analyses of this theory
have been limited to studying it as a classical field theory. We quantize this
theory on a Euclidean 4-dimensional space-time lattice and determine its
properties using Monte-Carlo simulations. The electromagnetic field around a
static point charge is measured using Luscher-Weisz methods to overcome the
sign problem associated with the introduction of this charge. The D field
appears identical to that of Maxwell QED. However, the E field is enhanced by
quantum fluctuations, while still showing the short distance screening observed
in the classical theory. In addition, whereas for the classical theory, the
screening increases without bound as the non-linearity increases, the quantum
theory approaches a limiting conformal field theory.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures. Latex with postscript figure
New Perspective on the Optical Theorem of Classical Electrodynamics
A general proof of the optical theorem (also known as the optical
cross-section theorem) is presented that reveals the intimate connection
between the forward scattering amplitude and the absorption-plus-scattering of
the incident wave within the scatterer. The oscillating electric charges and
currents as well as the electric and magnetic dipoles of the scatterer, driven
by an incident plane-wave, extract energy from the incident beam at a certain
rate. The same oscillators radiate electro-magnetic energy into the far field,
thus giving rise to well-defined scattering amplitudes along various
directions. The essence of the proof presented here is that the extinction
cross-section of an object can be related to its forward scattering amplitude
using the induced oscillations within the object but without an actual
knowledge of the mathematical form assumed by these oscillations.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, 12 reference
Nonperturbative calculation of Born-Infeld effects on the Schroedinger spectrum of the hydrogen atom
We present the first nonperturbative numerical calculations of the
nonrelativistic hydrogen spectrum as predicted by first-quantized
electrodynamics with nonlinear Maxwell-Born-Infeld field equations. We also
show rigorous upper and lower bounds on the ground state.
When judged against empirical data our results significantly restrict the
range of viable values of the new electromagnetic constant which is introduced
by the Born-Infeld theory.
We assess Born's own proposal for the value of his constant.Comment: 4p., 2 figs, 1 table; submitted for publicatio
A technique for optimal temperature estimation for modeling sunrise/sunset thermal snap disturbance torque
A predictive temperature estimation technique which can be used to drive a model of the Sunrise/Sunset thermal 'snap' disturbance torque experienced by low Earth orbiting spacecraft is described. The twice per orbit impulsive disturbance torque is attributed to vehicle passage in and out of the Earth's shadow cone (umbra), during which large flexible appendages undergo rapidly changing thermal conditions. Flexible members, in particular solar arrays, experience rapid cooling during umbra entrance (Sunset) and rapid heating during exit (Sunrise). The thermal 'snap' phenomena has been observed during normal on-orbit operations of both the LANDSAT-4 satellite and the Communications Technology Satellite (CTS). Thermal 'snap' has also been predicted to be a dominant source of error for the TOPEX satellite. The fundamental equations used to model the Sunrise/Sunset thermal 'snap' disturbance torque for a typical solar array like structure will be described. For this derivation the array is assumed to be a thin, cantilevered beam. The time varying thermal gradient is shown to be the driving force behind predicting the thermal 'snap' disturbance torque and therefore motivates the need for accurate estimates of temperature. The development of a technique to optimally estimate appendage surface temperature is highlighted. The objective analysis method used is structured on the Gauss-Markov Theorem and provides an optimal temperature estimate at a prescribed location given data from a distributed thermal sensor network. The optimally estimated surface temperatures could then be used to compute the thermal gradient across the body. The estimation technique is demonstrated using a typical satellite solar array
Perfect imaging with positive refraction in three dimensions
Maxwell's fish eye has been known to be a perfect lens within the validity
range of ray optics since 1854. Solving Maxwell's equations we show that the
fish-eye lens in three dimensions has unlimited resolution for electromagnetic
waves
Feasibility of loophole-free nonlocality tests with a single photon
Recently much interest has been directed towards designing setups that
achieve realistic loss thresholds for decisive tests of local realism, in
particular in the optical regime. We analyse the feasibility of such Bell tests
based on a W-state shared between multiple parties, which can be realised for
example by a single photon shared between spatial modes. We develop a general
error model to obtain thresholds on the efficiencies required to violate local
realism, and also consider two concrete optical measurement schemes.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Geometrical dynamics of Born-Infeld objects
We present a geometrical inspired study of the dynamics of -branes. We
focus on the usual nonpolynomial Dirac-Born-Infeld action for the worldvolume
swept out by the brane in its evolution in general background spacetimes. We
emphasize the form of the resulting equations of motion which are quite simple
and resemble Newton's second law, complemented with a conservation law for a
worldvolume bicurrent. We take a closer look at the classical Hamiltonian
analysis which is supported by the ADM framework of general relativity. The
constraints and their algebra are identified as well as the geometrical role
they play in phase space. In order to illustrate our results, we review the
dynamics of a -brane immersed in a background spacetime.
We exhibit the mechanical properties of Born-Infeld objects paving the way to a
consistent quantum formulation.Comment: LaTex, 20 pages, no figure
Polarized thermal emission by thin metal wires
We report new measurements of the linear polarization of thermal radiation
emitted by incandescent thin tungsten wires, with thicknesses ranging from five
to hundred microns. Our data show very good agreement with theoretical
predictions, based on Drude-type fits to measured optical properties of
tungsten.Comment: 12 pages, 4 encapsulated figures. This new version matches the one
published in New. J. Phys.. Improved presentation, more references added, and
one new figure include
Ghost Interference with Optical Parametric Amplifier
The 'Ghost' interference experiment is analyzed when the source of entangled
photons is a multimode Optical Parametric Amplifier(OPA) whose weak limit is
the two-photon Spontaneous Parametric Downconversion(SPDC) beam. The visibility
of the double-slit pattern is calculated, taking the finite coincidence time
window of the photon counting detectors into account. It is found that the
coincidence window and the bandwidth of light reaching the detectors play a
crucial role in the loss of visibility on coincidence detection, not only in
the 'Ghost' interference experiment but in all experiments involving
coincidence detection. The differences between the loss of visibility with
two-mode and multimode OPA sources is also discussed.
PACS: 42.65.Yj, 42.50.Dv, 42.65.L
Novel methods to measure the gravitational constant in space
We present two novel methods, tested by LISA Pathfinder, to measure the gravitational constant G for the first time in space. Experiment 1 uses electrostatic suspension forces to measure a change in acceleration of a test mass due to a displaced source mass. Experiment 2 measures a change in relative acceleration between two test masses due to a slowly varying fuel tank mass. Experiment 1 gave a value of G=6.71±0.42(×10-11)¿¿m3¿s-2¿kg-1 and experiment 2 gave 6.15±0.35(×10-11)¿¿m3¿s-2¿kg-1, both consistent with each other to 1s and with the CODATA 2014 recommended value of 6.67408±0.00031(×10-11)¿¿m3¿s-2¿kg-1 to 2s. We outline several ideas to improve the results for a future experiment, and we suggest that a measurement in space would isolate many terrestrial issues that could be responsible for the inconsistencies between recent measurements.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
- …