19 research outputs found
Resonant Magnetic Vortices
By using the complex angular momentum method, we provide a semiclassical
analysis of electron scattering by a magnetic vortex of Aharonov-Bohm-type.
Regge poles of the -matrix are associated with surface waves orbiting around
the vortex and supported by a magnetic field discontinuity. Rapid variations of
sharp characteristic shapes can be observed on scattering cross sections. They
correspond to quasibound states which are Breit-Wigner-type resonances
associated with surface waves and which can be considered as quantum analogues
of acoustic whispering-gallery modes. Such a resonant magnetic vortex could
provide a new kind of artificial atom while the semiclassical approach
developed here could be profitably extended in various areas of the physics of
vortices.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Weyl formulas for annular ray-splitting billiards
We consider the distribution of eigenvalues for the wave equation in annular
(electromagnetic or acoustic) ray-splitting billiards. These systems are
interesting in that the derivation of the associated smoothed spectral counting
function can be considered as a canonical problem. This is achieved by
extending a formalism developed by Berry and Howls for ordinary (without
ray-splitting) billiards. Our results are confirmed by numerical computations
and permit us to infer a set of rules useful in order to obtain Weyl formulas
for more general ray-splitting billiards
Gauge Formulation for Higher Order Gravity
This work is an application of the second order gauge theory for the Lorentz
group, where a description of the gravitational interaction is obtained which
includes derivatives of the curvature. We analyze the form of the second field
strenght, , in terms of geometrical variables. All possible
independent Lagrangians constructed with quadratic contractions of and
quadratic contractions of are analyzed. The equations of motion for a
particular Lagrangian, which is analogous to Podolsky's term of his Generalized
Electrodynamics, are calculated. The static isotropic solution in the linear
approximation was found, exhibiting the regular Newtonian behaviour at short
distances as well as a meso-large distance modification.Comment: Published versio
Gravitational Lensing by Black Holes
We review the theoretical aspects of gravitational lensing by black holes,
and discuss the perspectives for realistic observations. We will first treat
lensing by spherically symmetric black holes, in which the formation of
infinite sequences of higher order images emerges in the clearest way. We will
then consider the effects of the spin of the black hole, with the formation of
giant higher order caustics and multiple images. Finally, we will consider the
perspectives for observations of black hole lensing, from the detection of
secondary images of stellar sources and spots on the accretion disk to the
interpretation of iron K-lines and direct imaging of the shadow of the black
hole.Comment: Invited article for the GRG special issue on lensing (P. Jetzer, Y.
Mellier and V. Perlick Eds.). 31 pages, 12 figure
Stochastic Gravity: Theory and Applications
Whereas semiclassical gravity is based on the semiclassical Einstein equation
with sources given by the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor of
quantum fields, stochastic semiclassical gravity is based on the
Einstein-Langevin equation, which has in addition sources due to the noise
kernel. In the first part, we describe the fundamentals of this new theory via
two approaches: the axiomatic and the functional. In the second part, we
describe three applications of stochastic gravity theory. First, we consider
metric perturbations in a Minkowski spacetime, compute the two-point
correlation functions of these perturbations and prove that Minkowski spacetime
is a stable solution of semiclassical gravity. Second, we discuss structure
formation from the stochastic gravity viewpoint. Third, we discuss the
backreaction of Hawking radiation in the gravitational background of a black
hole and describe the metric fluctuations near the event horizon of an
evaporating black holeComment: 100 pages, no figures; an update of the 2003 review in Living Reviews
in Relativity gr-qc/0307032 ; it includes new sections on the Validity of
Semiclassical Gravity, the Stability of Minkowski Spacetime, and the Metric
Fluctuations of an Evaporating Black Hol