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Author (up) Agullo, I.; del Rio, A.; Navarro-Salas, J.
Title Classical and quantum aspects of electric-magnetic duality rotations in curved spacetimes Type Journal Article
Year 2018 Publication Physical Review D Abbreviated Journal Phys. Rev. D
Volume 98 Issue 12 Pages 125001 - 22pp
Keywords
Abstract It is well known that the source-free Maxwell equations are invariant under electric-magnetic duality rotations, F -> F cos theta +*F sin theta. These transformations are indeed a symmetry of the theory in the Noether sense. The associated constant of motion is the difference in the intensity between self-dual and anti-self-dual components of the electromagnetic field or, equivalently, the difference between the right and left circularly polarized components. This conservation law holds even if the electromagnetic field interacts with an arbitrary classical gravitational background. After reexamining these results, we discuss whether this symmetry is maintained when the electromagnetic field is quantized. The answer is in the affirmative in the absence of gravity but not necessarily otherwise. As a consequence, the net polarization of the quantum electromagnetic field fails to be conserved in curved spacetimes. This is a quantum effect, and it can be understood as the generalization of the fermion chiral anomaly to fields of spin one.
Address [Agullo, Ivan] Louisiana State Univ, Dept Phys & Astron, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA, Email: agullo@lsu.edu;
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Amer Physical Soc Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2470-0010 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000451998400004 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 3824
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Author (up) Agullo, I.; del Rio, A.; Navarro-Salas, J.
Title On the Electric-Magnetic Duality Symmetry: Quantum Anomaly, Optical Helicity, and Particle Creation Type Journal Article
Year 2018 Publication Symmetry-Basel Abbreviated Journal Symmetry-Basel
Volume 10 Issue 12 Pages 763 - 14pp
Keywords electric-magnetic duality symmetry; quantum anomalies; optical helicity; electromagnetic polarization; particle creation
Abstract It is well known that not every symmetry of a classical field theory is also a symmetry of its quantum version. When this occurs, we speak of quantum anomalies. The existence of anomalies imply that some classical Noether charges are no longer conserved in the quantum theory. In this paper, we discuss a new example for quantum electromagnetic fields propagating in the presence of gravity. We argue that the symmetry under electric-magnetic duality rotations of the source-free Maxwell action is anomalous in curved spacetimes. The classical Noether charge associated with these transformations accounts for the net circular polarization or the optical helicity of the electromagnetic field. Therefore, our results describe the way the spacetime curvature changes the helicity of photons and opens the possibility of extracting information from strong gravitational fields through the observation of the polarization of photons. We also argue that the physical consequences of this anomaly can be understood in terms of the asymmetric quantum creation of photons by the gravitational field.
Address [Agullo, Ivan] Louisiana State Univ, Dept Phys & Astron, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA, Email: agullo@lsu.edu;
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Mdpi Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2073-8994 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000454725100101 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 3867
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Author (up) Agullo, I.; del Rio, A.; Navarro-Salas, J.
Title Gravity and handedness of photons Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication International Journal of Modern Physics D Abbreviated Journal Int. J. Mod. Phys. D
Volume 26 Issue 12 Pages 1742001 - 5pp
Keywords Quantum fields in curved spacetime; symmetry and conservation laws; electromagnetic wave propagation; anomalies
Abstract Vacuum fluctuations of quantum fields are altered in the presence of a strong gravitational background, with important physical consequences. We argue that a nontrivial spacetime geometry can act as an optically active medium for quantum electromagnetic radiation, in such a way that the state of polarization of radiation changes in time, even in the absence of electromagnetic sources. This is a quantum effect, and is a consequence of an anomaly related to the classical invariance under electric-magnetic duality rotations in Maxwell theory.
Address [Agullo, Ivan] Louisiana State Univ, Dept Phys & Astron, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA, Email: agullo@lsu.edu;
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher World Scientific Publ Co Pte Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0218-2718 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000414411900003 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 3355
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Author (up) Agullo, I.; del Rio, A.; Navarro-Salas, J.
Title Electromagnetic Duality Anomaly in Curved Spacetimes Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication Physical Review Letters Abbreviated Journal Phys. Rev. Lett.
Volume 118 Issue 11 Pages 111301 - 5pp
Keywords
Abstract The source-free Maxwell action is invariant under electric-magnetic duality rotations in arbitrary spacetimes. This leads to a conserved classical Noether charge. We show that this conservation law is broken at the quantum level in the presence of a background classical gravitational field with a nontrivial Chern-Pontryagin invariant, in parallel with the chiral anomaly for massless Dirac fermions. Among the physical consequences, the net polarization of the quantum electromagnetic field is not conserved.
Address [Agullo, Ivan; del Rio, Adrian] Louisiana State Univ, Dept Phys & Astron, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA, Email: agullo@lsu.edu;
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Amer Physical Soc Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0031-9007 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000396267100003 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 2964
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Author (up) Agullo, I.; Landete, A.; Navarro-Salas, J.
Title Electric-magnetic duality and renormalization in curved spacetimes Type Journal Article
Year 2014 Publication Physical Review D Abbreviated Journal Phys. Rev. D
Volume 90 Issue 12 Pages 124067 - 7pp
Keywords
Abstract We point out that the duality symmetry of free electromagnetism does not hold in the quantum theory if an arbitrary classical gravitational background is present. The symmetry breaks in the process of renormalization, as also happens with conformal invariance. We show that a similar duality anomaly appears for a massless scalar field in 1 + 1 dimensions.
Address [Agullo, Ivan; Landete, Aitor] Louisiana State Univ, Dept Phys & Astron, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA, Email: agullo@lsu.edu;
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Amer Physical Soc Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1550-7998 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000348361600012 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 2089
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