arXiv subjects

George E. A. Matsas

Publications and source records attributed to George E. A. Matsas.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv1999

Search for semiclassical-gravity effects in relativistic stars

We discuss the possible influence of gravity in the neutronization process, $p^+ e^- \to n ν_e$, which is particularly important as a cooling mechanism of neutron stars. Our approach is semiclassical in the sense that leptonic fields are quantized on a classical background spacetime, while neutrons and protons are treated as excited and unexcited nucleon states, respectively. We expect gravity to have some influence wherever the energy content carried by the in-state is barely above the neutron mass. In this case the emitted neutrinos would be soft enough to have a wavelength of the same order as the space curvature radius.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1999

Decay of protons and neutrons induced by acceleration

We investigate the decay of accelerated protons and neutrons. Calculations are carried out in the inertial and coaccelerated frames. Particle interpretation of these processes are quite different in each frame but the decay rates are verified to agree in both cases. For sake of simplicity our calculations are performed in a two-dimensional spacetime since our conclusions are not conceptually affected by this.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1998

Interaction of Hawking radiation with static sources outside a Schwarzschild black hole

We show that the response rate of (i) a static source interacting with Hawking radiation of massless scalar field in Schwarzschild spacetime (with the Unruh vacuum) and that of (ii) a uniformly accelerated source with the same proper acceleration in Minkowski spacetime (with the Minkowski vacuum) are equal. We show that this equality will not hold if the Unruh vacuum is replaced by the Hartle-Hawking vacuum. It is verified that the source responds to the Hawking radiation near the horizon as if it were at rest in a thermal bath in Minkowski spacetime with the same temperature. It is also verified that the response rate in the Hartle-Hawking vacuum approaches that in Minkowski spacetime with the same temperature far away from the black hole. Finally, we compare our results with others in the literature.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1998

Interaction of Hawking radiation and a static electric charge

We investigate whether the equality found for the response of static scalar sources interacting (i) with {\em Hawking radiation in Schwarzschild spacetime} and (ii) with the Fulling-Davies-Unruh thermal bath in the Rindler wedge is maintained in the case of electric charges. We find a finite result in the Schwarzschild case, which is computed exactly, in contrast with the divergent result associated with the infrared catastrophe in the Rindler case, i.e. in the case of uniformly accelerated charges in Minkowski spacetime. Thus, the equality found for scalar sources does not hold for electric charges.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1997

Background thermal depolarization of electrons in storage rings

We discuss the influence of the background thermal bath on the depolarization of electrons in high-energy storage rings, and on the photon emission associated with the spin flip. We focus, in particular, on electrons at LEP. We show that in a certain interval of solid angles the photon emission is enhanced several orders of magnitude because of the presence of the thermal bath. Notwithstanding, the overall depolarization induced by the background thermal bath at LEP conditions is much smaller than the one induced by plain acceleration at zero-temperature and can be neglected in practical situations. Eventually we discuss in what conditions the background thermal bath can enhance the overall depolarization by several orders of magnitude.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1996

Reply to "Comment on 'Background Thermal Contributions in Testing the Unruh effect' "

Park et al's recent comment (hep-th/9605132) that for detectors with large energy gap in comparison with the temperature of the background thermal bath, the maximum excitation rate is obtained for some non-zero detector's velocity is correct but was previously discussed by ourselves elsewhere, and moreover does not affect in our paper above any mathematical formula, numerical result, and consequently our final conclusion that the background thermal bath does not contribute substantially in the depolarization of electrons at LEP.

hep-th↗

arXiv1996

Rindler and Minkowski particles relationship revisited

We show that the emission of a Minkowski particle by a general class of scalar sources as described by inertial observers corresponds to either the emission or the absorption of a Rindler particle as described by uniformly accelerated observers. Our results are discussed in connection with the current controversy whether uniformly accelerated detectors radiate.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

Alternative Derivation of the Correspondence Between Rindler and Minkowski Particles

We develop an alternative derivation of Unruh and Wald's seminal result that the absorption of a Rindler particle by a detector as described by uniformly accelerated observers corresponds to the emission of a Minkowski particle as described by inertial observers. Actually, we present it in an inverted version, namely, that the emission of a Minkowski particle corresponds in general to either the emission or the absorption of a Rindler particle.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVITY

We investigate whether inertial thermometers moving in a thermal bath behave as being hotter or colder. This question is directly related to the classical controversy concerning how temperature transforms under Lorentz transformations. Rather than basing our arguments on thermodynamical hypotheses, we perform straightforward calculations in the context of relativistic quantum field theory. For this purpose we use Unruh-DeWitt detectors, since they have been shown to be reliable thermometers in semi-classical gravity. We believe that our discussion helps in definitely clarifying this issue.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Background Thermal Contributions in Testing the Unruh Effect

We consider inertial and accelerated Unruh-DeWitt detectors moving in a background thermal bath and calculate their excitation rates. It is shown that for fast moving detectors such a thermal bath does not affect substantially the excitation probability. Our results are discussed in connection with a possible proposal of testing the Unruh effect in high energy particle accelerators.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Do Inertial Electric Charges Radiate with Respect to Uniformly Accelerated Observers?

We revisit the long standing problem of analyzing an inertial electric charge from the point of view of uniformly accelerated observers in the context of semi-classical gravity. We choose a suitable set of accelerated observers with respect to which there is no photon emission coming from the inertial charge. We discuss this result against previous claims [F. Rohrlich, Ann. Phys. (N.Y.) vol: 22, 169 (1963)]. (This Essay was awarded a Honorable Mention for 1994 by the Gravity Research Foundation.)

gr-qc↗