arXiv subjects

H. Alnes

Publications and source records attributed to H. Alnes.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2007

Electromagnetic Casimir energy with extra dimensions

We calculate the energy-momentum tensor due to electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations between two parallel hyperplanes in more than four dimensions, considering both metallic and MIT boundary conditions. Using the axial gauge, the problem can be mapped upon the corresponding problem with a massless, scalar field satisfying respectively Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions. The pressure between the plates is constant while the energy density is found to diverge at the boundaries when there are extra dimensions. This can be related to the fact that Maxwell theory is then no longer conformally invariant. A similar behavior is known for the scalar field where a constant energy density consistent with the pressure can be obtained by improving the energy-momentum tensor with the Huggins term. This is not possible for the Maxwell field. However, the change in the energy-momentum tensor with distance between boundaries is finite in all cases.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Resolution of an apparent inconsistency in the electromagnetic Casimir effect

The vacuum expectation value of the electromagnetic energy-momentum tensor between two parallel plates in spacetime dimensions D > 4 is calculated in the axial gauge. While the pressure between the plates agrees with the global Casimir force, the energy density is divergent at the plates and not compatible with the total energy which follows from the force. However, subtracting the divergent self-energies of the plates, the resulting energy is finite and consistent with the force. In analogy with the corresponding scalar case for spacetime dimensions D > 2, the divergent self-energy of a single plate can be related to the lack of conformal invariance of the electromagnetic Lagrangian for dimensions D > 4.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2006

Can a dust dominated universe have accelerated expansion?

Recently, there has been suggestions that the apparent accelerated expansion of the universe is due not to a cosmological constant, but rather to inhomogeneities in the distribution of matter. In this work, we investigate a specific class of inhomogeneous models that can be solved analytically, namely the dust-dominated Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi universe models. We show that they do not permit accelerated cosmic expansion.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Black-body radiation in extra dimensions

The general form of the Stefan-Boltzmann law for the energy density of black-body radiation is generalized to a spacetime with extra dimensions using standard kinetic and thermodynamic arguments. From statistical mechanics one obtains an exact formula. In a field-theoretic derivation, the Maxwell field must be quantized. The notion of electric and magnetic fields is different in spacetimes with more than four dimensions. While the energy-momentum tensor for the Maxwell field is traceless in four dimensions, it is not so when there are extra dimensions. But it is shown that its thermal average is traceless and in agreement with the thermodynamic results.

quant-ph↗