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arXiv · 1309.0398

Canonical quantization of electromagnetism in spatially dispersive media

S. A. R. Horsley·T. G. Philbin
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Abstract

We find the action that describes the electromagnetic field in a spatially dispersive, homogeneous medium. This theory is quantized and the Hamiltonian is diagonalized in terms of a continuum of normal modes. It is found that the introduction of nonlocal response in the medium automatically regulates some previously divergent results, and we calculate a finite value for the intensity of the electromagnetic field at a fixed frequency within a homogeneous medium. To conclude we discuss the potential importance of spatial dispersion in taming the divergences that arise in calculations of Casimir-type effects.

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S. A. R. Horsley, T. G. Philbin. 2014-01-27. Canonical quantization of electromagnetism in spatially dispersive media. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630%2F16%2F1%2F013030

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