PT Journal
AU Agullo, I
   del Rio, A
   Navarro-Salas, J
TI Gravity and handedness of photons
SO International Journal of Modern Physics D
JI Int. J. Mod. Phys. D
PY 2017
BP 1742001
EP 5pp
VL 26
IS 12
DI 10.1142/S0218271817420019
LA English
DE Quantum fields in curved spacetime; symmetry and conservation laws; electromagnetic wave propagation; anomalies
AB 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.
ER