arXiv subjects

Robin W Tucker

Publications and source records attributed to Robin W Tucker.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2014

On the computation of Casimir stresses in open media and Lifshitz theory

A classification of the electromagnetic modes on open and closed spatial domains containing media with piecewise homogeneous permittivities is used to facilitate the derivation of quantum induced Casimir stresses in dielectrics. By directly exploiting the complex analytic properties of solutions of the macroscopic Maxwell equations for open systems it is shown how regular expressions for such stresses can be expressed in terms of double integrals involving either real or pure imaginary frequencies associated with harmonic modes in conformity with the Lifshitz theory for separated planar dielectric half-spaces. The derivation is self-contained without recourse to the Krein formula for a density of states or mode regularization and offers a more direct approach to other open systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Maxwell's Equations in a Uniformly Rotating Dielectric Medium and the Wilson-Wilson Experiment

This note offers a conceptually straightforward and efficient way to formulate and solve problems in the electromagnetics of moving media based on a representation of Maxwell's equations in terms of differential forms on spacetime together with junction conditions at moving interfaces. This framework is used to address a number of issues that have been discussed recently in this journal about the theoretical description underlying the interpretation of the Wilson-Wilson experiment.

math-ph↗

arXiv2011

Covariant Constitutive Relations and Relativistic Inhomogeneous Plasmas

The notion of a two-point susceptibility kernel used to describe linear electromagnetic responses of dispersive continuous media in non-relativistic phenomena is generalized to accommodate the constraints required of a causal formulation in spacetimes with background gravitational fields. In particular the concepts of spatial material inhomogeneity and temporal non-stationarity are formulated within a fully covariant spacetime framework. This framework is illustrated by re-casting the Maxwell-Vlasov equations for a collisionless plasma in a form that exposes a 2-point electromagnetic susceptibility kernel in spacetime. This permits the establishment of a perturbative scheme for non-stationary inhomogeneous plasma configurations. Explicit formulae for the perturbed kernel are derived in both the presence and absence of gravitation using the general solution to the relativistic equations of motion of the plasma constituents. In the absence of gravitation this permits an analysis of collisionless damping in terms of a system of integral equations that reduce to standard Landau damping of Langmuir modes when the perturbation refers to a homogeneous stationary plasma configuration. It is concluded that constitutive modelling in terms of a 2-point susceptibility kernel in a covariant spacetime framework offers a natural extension of standard non-relativistic descriptions of simple media and that its use for describing linear responses of more general dispersive media has wide applicability in relativistic plasma modelling.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2010

Covariant Constitutive Relations, Landau Damping and Non-stationary Inhomogeneous Plasmas

Models of covariant linear electromagnetic constitutive relations are formulated that have wide applicability to the computation of susceptibility tensors for dispersive and inhomogeneous media. A perturbative framework is used to derive a linear constitutive relation for a globally neutral plasma enabling one to describe in this context a generalized Landau damping mechanism for non-stationary inhomogeneous plasma states.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2009

Energy Spectra from Electromagnetic Fields Generated by Ultra-relativistic Charged Bunches in a Perfectly Conducting Cylindrical Beam Pipe

The spectrum of electromagnetic fields satisfying perfectly conducting boundary conditions in a segment of a straight beam pipe with a circular cross-section is discussed as a function of various source models. These include charged bunches that move along the axis of the pipe with constant speed for which an exact solution to the initial-boundary value problem for Maxwell's equations in the beam pipe is derived. In the ultra-relativistic limit all longitudinal components of the fields tend to zero and the spectral content of the transverse fields and average total electromagnetic energy crossing any section of the beam pipe are directly related to the properties of the ultra-relativistic source. It is shown that for axially symmetric ultra-relativistic bunches interference effects occur that show a striking resemblance to those that occur due to CSR in cyclic machines despite the fact that in this limit the source is no longer accelerating. The results offer an analytic description showing how such enhanced spectral behaviour depends on the geometry of the source and the details of the stochastic distribution of structure within the source. They offer a viable experimental means for inferring properties of the longitudinal charge distribution of bunches with micro-structure in ultra-relativistic motion in straight segments of a beam pipe from observation of the associated electromagnetic energy spectra. They are also of relevance to design criteria where the coherence effects of such fields play a significant role.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2008

Differential Form Valued Forms and Distributional Electromagnetic Sources

Properties of a fundamental double-form of bi-degree $(p,p)$ for $p\ge 0$ are reviewed in order to establish a distributional framework for analysing equations of the form $$ΔΦ+ λ^2 Φ= {\cal S} $$ where $Δ$ is the Hodge-de Rham operator on $p-$forms $ Φ$ on ${\bf R}^3$. Particular attention is devoted to singular distributional solutions that arise when the source $ {\cal S}$ is a singular $p-$form distribution. A constructive approach to Dirac distributions on (moving) submanifolds embedded in ${\bf R}^3$ is developed in terms of (Leray) forms generated by the geometry of the embedding. This framework offers a useful tool in electromagnetic modeling where the possibly time dependent sources of certain physical attributes, such as electric charge, electric current and polarization or magnetization, are concentrated on localized regions in space.

math-ph↗

arXiv2008

Electromagnetic Fields Produced by Moving Sources in a Curved Beam Pipe

A new geometrical perturbation scheme is developed in order to calculate the electromagnetic fields produced by charged sources in prescribed motion moving in a non-straight perfectly conducting beam pipe. The pipe is regarded as a perturbed infinitely long hollow right-circular cylinder. The perturbation maintains the pipe's circular cross-section while deforming its axis into a planar space-curve with, in general, non-constant curvature. Various charged source models are considered including a charged bunch and an off-axis point particle. In the ultra-relativistic limit this permits a calculation of the longitudinal wake potential in terms of powers of the product of the pipe radius and the arbitrarily varying curvature of the axial space-curve. Analytic expressions to leading order are presented for beam pipes with piecewise defined constant curvature modelling pipes with straight segments linked by circular arcs of finite length. The language of differential forms is used throughout and to illustrate the power of this formalism a pedagogical introduction is developed by deriving the theory ab-initio from Maxwell's equations expressed intrinsically as a differential system on (Minkowski) spacetime.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2003

On the motion of spinning test particles in plane gravitational waves

The Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon equations for a massive spinning test particle in plane gravitational waves are analysed and explicit solutions constructed in terms of solutions of certain linear ordinary differential equations. For harmonic waves this system reduces to a single equation of Mathieu-Hill type. In this case spinning particles may exhibit parametric excitation by gravitational fields. For a spinning test particle scattered by a gravitational wave pulse, the final energy-momentum of the particle may be related to the width, height, polarisation of the wave and spin orientation of the particle.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Non-Riemannian Gravitational Interactions

Recent developments in theories of non-Riemannian gravitational interactions are outlined. The question of the motion of a fluid in the presence of torsion and metric gradient fields is approached in terms of the divergence of the Einstein tensor associated with a general connection. In the absence of matter the variational equations associated with a broad class of actions involving non-Riemannian fields give rise to an Einstein-Proca system associated with the standard Levi-Civita connection.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Classical and Quantum Implications of the Causality Structure of Two-Dimensional Spacetimes with Degenerate Metrics

The causality structure of two-dimensional manifolds with degenerate metrics is analysed in terms of global solutions of the massless wave equation. Certain novel features emerge. Despite the absence of a traditional Lorentzian Cauchy surface on manifolds with a Euclidean domain it is possible to uniquely determine a global solution (if it exists), satisfying well defined matching conditions at the degeneracy curve, from Cauchy data on certain spacelike curves in the Lorentzian region. In general, however, no global solution satisfying such matching conditions will be consistent with this data. Attention is drawn to a number of obstructions that arise prohibiting the construction of a bounded operator connecting asymptotic single particle states. The implications of these results for the existence of a unitary quantum field theory are discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Finite Action Yang-Mills Solutions on the Group Manifold

We demonstrate that the left (and right) invariant Maurer-Cartan forms for any semi-simple Lie group enable one to construct solutions of the Yang-Mills equations on the group manifold equipped with the natural Cartan-Killing metric. For the unitary unimodular groups the Yang-Mills action integral is finite for such solutions. This is explicitly exhibited for the case of $SU(3)$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

Gravity, Gauges and Clocks

We discuss the definitions of standard clocks in theories of gravitation. These definitions are motivated by the invariance of actions under different gauge symmetries. We contrast the definition of a standard Weyl clock with that of a clock in general relativity and argue that the historical criticisms of theories based on non-metric compatible connections by Einstein, Pauli and others must be considered in the context of Weyl's original gauge symmetry. We argue that standard Einsteinian clocks can be defined in non-Riemannian theories of gravitation by adopting the Weyl group as a local gauge symmetry that {\it preserves the metric} and discuss the hypothesis that atomic clocks may be adopted to measure proper time in the presence of non-Riemannian gravitational fields. These ideas are illustrated in terms of a recently developed model of gravitation based on a non-Riemannian space-time geometry.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

Black Holes with Weyl Charge and Non-Riemannian Waves

A simple modification to Einstein's theory of gravity in terms of a non-Riemannian connection is examined. A new tensor-variational approach yields field equations that possess a covariance similar to the gauge covariance of electromagnetism. These equations are shown to possess solutions analogous to those found in the Einstein-Maxwell system. In particular one finds gravi-electric and gravi-magnetic charges contributing to a spherically symmetric static Reissner-Nordström metric. Such Weyl ``charges'' provide a source for the non-Riemannian torsion and metric gradient fields instead of the electromagnetic field. The theory suggests that matter may be endowed with gravitational charges that couple to gravity in a manner analogous to electromagnetic couplings in an electromagnetic field. The nature of gravitational coupling to spinor matter in this theory is also investigated and a solution exhibiting a plane-symmetric gravitational metric wave coupled via non-Riemannian waves to a propagating spinor field is presented.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

Topology Change and the Propagation of Massless Fields

We analyse the massless wave equation on a class of two dimensional manifolds consisting of an arbitrary number of topological cylinders connected to one or more topological spheres. Such manifolds are endowed with a degenerate (non-globally hyperbolic) metric. Attention is drawn to the topological constraints on solutions describing monochromatic modes on both compact and non-compact manifolds. Energy and momentum currents are constructed and a new global sum rule discussed. The results offer a rigorous background for the formulation of a field theory of topologically induced particle production.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

Solutions for Neutral for Axi-Dilaton Gravity in 4-Dimensions

We examine a 1 parameter class of actions describing the gravitational interaction between a pair of scalar fields and Einsteinian gravitation. When the parameter is positive the theory corresponds to an axi-dilatonic sector of low energy string theory. We exploit an SL(2,R) symmetry of the theory to construct a family of electromagnetically neutral solutions with non-zero axion and dilaton charge from solutions of the Brans-Dicke theory. We also comment on solutions to the theory with negative coupling parameter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

An Einstein-Hilbert Action for Axi-Dilaton Gravity in 4-Dimensions

We examine the axi-dilatonic sector of low energy string theory and demonstrate how the gravitational interactions involving the axion and dilaton fields may be derived from a geometrical action principle involving the curvature scalar associated with a non-Riemannian connection. In this geometry the antisymmetric tensor 3-form field determines the torsion of the connection on the frame bundle while the gradient of the metric is determined by the dilaton field. By expressing the theory in terms of the Levi-Civita connection associated with the metric in the ``Einstein frame'' we confirm that the field equations derived from the non-Riemannian Einstein-Hilbert action coincide with the axi-dilaton sector of the low energy effective action derived from string theory.

gr-qc↗