80,882 research outputs found
Stokes Parameters as a Minkowskian Four-vector
It is noted that the Jones-matrix formalism for polarization optics is a
six-parameter two-by-two representation of the Lorentz group. It is shown that
the four independent Stokes parameters form a Minkowskian four-vector, just
like the energy-momentum four-vector in special relativity. The optical filters
are represented by four-by-four Lorentz-transformation matrices. This
four-by-four formalism can deal with partial coherence described by the Stokes
parameters. A four-by-four matrix formulation is given for decoherence effects
on the Stokes parameters, and a possible experiment is proposed. It is shown
also that this Lorentz-group formalism leads to optical filters with a symmetry
property corresponding to that of two-dimensional Euclidean transformations.Comment: RevTeX, 22 pages, no figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Iwasawa Effects in Multi-layer Optics
There are many two-by-two matrices in layer optics. It is shown that they can
be formulated in terms of a three-parameter group whose algebraic property is
the same as the group of Lorentz transformations in a space with two space-like
and one time-like dimensions, or the group which is a standard
theoretical tool in optics. Among the interesting mathematical properties of
this group, the Iwasawa decomposition drastically simplifies the matrix algebra
under certain conditions, and leads to a concise expression for the S-matrix
for transmitted and reflected rays. It is shown that the Iwasawa effect can be
observed in multi-layer optics, and a sample calculation of the S-matrix is
given.Comment: RevTex 10 pages including 1 psfi
Feynman's Decoherence
Gell-Mann's quarks are coherent particles confined within a hadron at rest,
but Feynman's partons are incoherent particles which constitute a hadron moving
with a velocity close to that of light. It is widely believed that the quark
model and the parton model are two different manifestations of the same
covariant entity. If this is the case, the question arises whether the Lorentz
boost destroys coherence. It is pointed out that this is not the case, and it
is possible to resolve this puzzle without inventing new physics. It is shown
that this decoherence is due to the measurement processes which are less than
complete.Comment: RevTex 15 pages including 6 figs, presented at the 9th Int'l
Conference on Quantum Optics (Raubichi, Belarus, May 2002), to be published
in the proceeding
Translational groups as generators of gauge transformations
We examine the gauge generating nature of the translational subgroup of
Wigner's little group for the case of massless tensor gauge theories and show
that the gauge transformations generated by the translational group is only a
subset of the complete set of gauge transformations. We also show that, just
like the case of topologically massive gauge theories, translational groups act
as generators of gauge transformations in gauge theories obtained by extending
massive gauge noninvariant theories by a Stuckelberg mechanism. The
representations of the translational groups that generate gauge transformations
in such Stuckelberg extended theories can be obtained by the method of
dimensional descent. We illustrate these with the examples of Stuckelberg
extended first class versions of Proca, Einstein-Pauli-Fierz and massive
Kalb-Ramond theories in 3+1 dimensions. A detailed analysis of the partial
gauge generation in massive and massless 2nd rank symmetric gauge theories is
provided. The gauge transformations generated by translational group in 2-form
gauge theories are shown to explicitly manifest the reducibility of gauge
transformations in these theories.Comment: Latex, 20 pages, no figures, Version to appear in Physical Review
Wigner's little group and BRST cohomology for one-form Abelian gauge theory
We discuss the (dual-)gauge transformations for the gauge-fixed Lagrangian
density and establish their intimate connection with the translation subgroup
T(2) of the Wigner's little group for the free one-form Abelian gauge theory in
four -dimensions (4D) of spacetime. Though the relationship between
the usual gauge transformation for the Abelian massless gauge field and T(2)
subgroup of the little group is quite well-known, such a connection between the
dual-gauge transformation and the little group is a new observation. The above
connections are further elaborated and demonstrated in the framework of
Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) cohomology defined in the quantum Hilbert
space of states where the Hodge decomposition theorem (HDT) plays a very
decisive role.Comment: LaTeX file, 17 pages, Journal-ref. give
Pulsars in FIRST Observations
We identified 16 pulsars from the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm
(FIRST) at 1.4 GHz. Their positions and total flux densities are extracted from
the FIRST catalog. Comparing the source positions with those in the PSRcatalog,
we obtained better determined positions of PSRs J1022+1001, J1518+4904,
J1652+2651, and proper motion upper limits of another three pulsars PSRs
J0751+1807, J1012+5307, J1640+2224. Proper motions of the other 10 pulsars are
consistent with the values in the catalog.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables, submited to CJA
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