arXiv subjects

Daniel M. Sforza

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel M. Sforza.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2004

Arago (1810): the first experimental result against the ether

95 years before Special Relativity was born, Arago attempted to detect the absolute motion of the Earth by measuring the deflection of starlight passing through a prism fixed to the Earth. The null result of this experiment gave rise to the Fresnel's hypothesis of an ether partly dragged by a moving substance. In the context of Einstein's Relativity, the sole frame which is privileged in Arago's experiment is the proper frame of the prism, and the null result only says that Snell's law is valid in that frame. We revisit the history of this premature first evidence against the ether theory and calculate the Fresnel's dragging coefficient by applying the Huygens' construction in the frame of the prism. We expose the dissimilar treatment received by the ray and the wave front as an unavoidable consequence of the classical notions of space and time.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2001

Quantization of a generally covariant gauge system with two super Hamiltonian constraints

The Becci-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) operator quantization of a finite-dimensional gauge system featuring two quadratic super Hamiltonian and m linear supermomentum constraints is studied as a model for quantizing generally covariant gauge theories. The proposed model ``completely'' mimics the constraint algebra of General Relativity. The Dirac constraint operators are identified by realizing the BRST generator of the system as a Hermitian nilpotent operator, and a physical inner product is introduced to complete a consistent quantization procedure.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2001

Quantization of Generally Covariant Systems

Finite dimensional models that mimic the constraint structure of Einstein's General Relativity are quantized in the framework of BRST and Dirac's canonical formalisms. The first system to be studied is one featuring a constraint quadratic in the momenta (the "super-Hamiltonian") and a set of constraints linear in the momenta (the "supermomentum" constraints). The starting point is to realize that the ghost contributions to the supermomentum constraint operators can be read in terms of the natural volume induced by the constraints in the orbits. This volume plays a fundamental role in the construction of the quadratic sector of the nilpotent BRST charge. It is shown that the quantum theory is invariant under scaling of the super-Hamiltonian. As long as the system has an intrinsic time, this property translates in a contribution of the potential to the kinetic term. In this aspect, the results substantially differ from other works where the scaling invariance is forced by introducing a coupling to the curvature. The contribution of the potential, far from being unnatural, is beautifully justified in the light of the Jacobi's principle. Then, it is shown that the obtained results can be extended to systems with extrinsic time. In this case, if the metric has a conformal temporal Killing vector and the potential exhibits a suitable behavior with respect to it, the role played by the potential in the case of intrinsic time is now played by the norm of the Killing vector. Finally, the results for the previous cases are extended to a system featuring two super-Hamiltonian constraints. This step is extremely important due to the fact that General Relativity features an infinite number of such constraints satisfying a non trivial algebra among themselves.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2000

Operator ordering for generally covariant systems

The constraint operators belonging to a generally covariant system are found out within the framework of the BRST formalism. The result embraces quadratic Hamiltonian constraints whose potential can be factorized as a never null function times a gauge invariant function. The building of the inner product between physical states is analyzed for systems featuring either intrinsic or extrinsic time.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2000

Entropy generation in cosmological particle creation

A very simplified model of the Universe is considered in order to propose an alternative approach to the irreversible evolution of the Universe at very early times. The entropy generation at the quantum stage can be thought as a consequence of an instability of the system. Then particle creation arises from this instability.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1999

Quantization of generally covariant systems with extrinsic time

A generally covariant system can be deparametrized by means of an ``extrinsic'' time, provided that the metric has a conformal ``temporal'' Killing vector and the potential exhibits a suitable behavior with respect to it. The quantization of the system is performed by giving the well ordered constraint operators which satisfy the algebra. The searching of these operators is enlightned by the methods of the BRST formalism.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1997

BRST operator quantization of generally covariant gauge systems

The BRST generator is realized as a Hermitian nilpotent operator for a finite-dimensional gauge system featuring a quadratic super-Hamiltonian and linear supermomentum constraints. As a result, the emerging ordering for the Hamiltonian constraint is not trivial, because the potential must enter the kinetic term in order to obtain a quantization invariant under scaling. Namely, BRST quantization does not lead to the curvature term used in the literature as a means to get that invariance. The inclusion of the potential in the kinetic term, far from being unnatural, is beautifully justified in light of the Jacobi's principle.

hep-th↗