Possible Experimental Evidence for Violation of Standard Electrodynamics, de Broglie Pilot Wave and Spacetime Deformation

We report and discuss the results of double-slit-like experiments in the infrared range, which evidence an anomalous behaviour of photon systems under particular (energy and space) constraints. These outcomes apparently disagree both with standard quantum mechanics (Copenhagen interpretation) and with classical and quantum electrodynamics. Possible interpretations can be given in terms of either the existence of de Broglie-Bohm pilot waves associated to photons, and/or the breakdown of local Lorentz invariance (LLI). We put forward an intriguing hypothesis about the possible connection between these seemingly unrelated points of view by assuming that the pilot wave of a photon is, in the framework of LLI breakdown, a local deformation of the flat minkowskian spacetime.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, presented at CASYS'09 - International Conference on COMPUTING ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS - HEC Management School - University of Liege, LIEGE, Belgium, August 3-8, 2009. The paper was peer reviewed as explicitely stated on page x in the AIP CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 1303 - Computing Anticipatory Systems - CASYS'09 Ninth International Conference, Li\`ege Belgium, August 3-8, 200

Geometrical Lorentz Violation and Quantum Mechanical Physics

On the basis of the results of some experiments dealing with the violation of Local Lorentz Invariance (LLI) and on the formalism of the Deformed Special Relativity (DSR), we examine the connections between the local geometrical structure of space-time and the foundation of Quantum Mechanics. We show that Quantum Mechanics, beside being an axiomatic theory, can be considered also a deductive physical theory, deducted from the primary physical principle of Relativistic Correlation. This principle is synonym of LLI and of a rigid and at minkowskian space-time. The results of the experiments mentioned above show the breakdown of LLI and hence the violation of the principle of Relativistic Correlation. The formalism of DSR allows to highlight the deep meaning of LLI breakdown in terms of the geometrical structure of local space-time which, far from being rigid and at, is deformed by the energy of the physical phenomena that take place and in this sense it has an active part in the dynamics of the whole physical process. This perspective has a far reaching physical meaning that extends its consequences to the foundations of Quantum Mechanics according to the interpretation of Copenhagen. It provides a 'real' explanation and description of quantum phenomena enriching, by the concept of deformed space-time, the realistic interpretation in terms of pilot wave and hence it uncovers the reality hidden below the probabilistic interpretation and dualistic nature of quantum objects.Comment: 4 figures, 15 page

Reply to the "Comment on 'Piezonuclear decay of thorium' [Phys. Lett. A 373 (2009) 1956]" [Phys. Lett. A 373 (2009) 3795] by G. Ericsson et al

In a paper appearing in this issue of Physics Letters A, Ericsson et al. raise some critical comments on the experiment [F. Cardone, R. Mignani, A. Petrucci, Phys. Lett. A 373 (2009) 1956] we carried out by cavitating a solution of thorium-228, which evidenced its anomalous decay behaviour, thus confirming the results previously obtained by Urutskoev et al. by explosion of titanium foils in solutions. In this Letter, we reply to these comments. In our opinion, the main shortcomings of the criticism by the Swedish authors are due to their omitting of inserting our experiment in the wider research stream of piezonuclear reactions, and to the statistical analysis they used, which does not comply with the rules generally accepted for samples with small numbers. However, apart from any possible theoretical speculation, there is the basic fact that two different experiments (ours and that by Urutskoev et al.), carried out independently and by different means, highlight an analogous anomaly in the decay of thorium subjected to pressure waves. Such a convergence of results shows that it is worth to further carry on experimental investigations, in order to get either a confirmation or a disproof of the induced-pressure anomalous behaviour of radioactive nuclides even different from thorium.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur

X-ray polarimetric signatures induced by spectral variability in the framework of the receding torus model

Obscuring circumnuclear dust is a well-established constituent of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Traditionally referred to as the receding dusty torus, its inner radius and angular extension should depend on the photo-ionizing luminosity of the central source. Using a Monte Carlo approach, we simulate the radiative transfer between the multiple components of an AGN adopting model constraints from the bright Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. We compare our model results to the observed near-IR to UV polarization of the source and predict its X-ray polarization. We find that the 2-8 keV polarization fraction of a standard AGN model varies from less then a few percent along polar viewing angles up to tens of percent at equatorial inclinations. At viewing angles around the type-1/type-2 transition the X-ray polarization variability differs between a static or a receding torus scenario. In the former case, the expected 2-8 keV polarization of NGC 4151 is found to be 1.21% +/- 0.34% with a constant polarization position angle, while in the later scenario it varies from 0.1% to 6% depending on the photon index of the primary radiation. Additionally, an orthogonal rotation of the polarization position angle with photon energy appears for very soft primary spectra. Future X-ray polarimetry missions will be able to test if the receding model is valid for Seyfert galaxies seen at a viewing angle close to the torus horizon. The overall stability of the polarization position angle for photon indexes softer than {\Gamma} = 1.5 ensures that reliable measurements of X-ray polarization are possible. We derive a long-term observational strategy for NGC 4151 assuming observations with a small to medium-size X-ray polarimetry satellite.Comment: 10 pages, 8 Figures, accepted for publication in A&

Standard Model Physics with ATLAS and CMS

The study of Standard Model (SM) physics is crucial at the LHC for several reasons. Before any discovery can be claimed a detailed understanding of the detectors should be reached and benchmark SM processes should be measured. A precise measurement of the various parameters is needed as a consistency check of the SM. Moreover, SM processes can be directly sensitive to new physics, they will allow to test QCD predictions and measure PDFs and are backgrounds for many new physics channels. In this report, the status of some analysis at ATLAS and CMS is reported focusing on W and Z inclusive cross sections and on W and top quark mass measurements. Expected results on early data are also shown.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, proceedings for the Moriond 2009 EW sessio

The effects of a comptonizing corona on the appearance of the reflection components in accreting black hole spectra

We discuss the effects of a comptonizing corona on the appearance of the reflection components, and in particular of the reflection hump, in the X-rays spectra of accreting black holes. Indeed, in the framework of a thermal corona model, we expect that part (or even all, depending on the coronal covering factor) of the reflection features should cross the hot plasma, and thus suffer Compton scattering, before being observed. We have studied in detail the dependence of these effects on the physical (i.e. temperature and optical depth) and geometrical (i.e. inclination angle) parameters of the corona, concentrating on the slab geometry . Due to the smoothing and shifting towards high energies of the comptonized reflection hump, the main effects on the emerging spectra appear above 100 keV. We have also investigated the importance of such effects on the interpretation of the results obtained with the standard fitting procedures. We found that fitting Comptonization models, taking into account comptonized reflection, by the usual cut-off power law + uncomptonized reflection model, may lead to an underestimation of the reflection normalization and an overestimation of the high energy cut-off. We discuss and illustrate the importance of these effects by analysing recent observational results as those of the galaxy NGC 4258. We also find that the comptonizing corona can produce and/or emphasize correlations between the reflection features characteristics (like the iron line equivalent width or the covering fraction) and the X-ray spectral index similar to those recently reported in the literature. We also underline the importance of these effects when dealing with accurate spectral fitting of the X-ray background.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures accepted for publication in MNRAS. Version printable on US 8.5x11 pape