Electromagnetic stress–energy tensor

In relativistic physics, the electromagnetic stress–energy tensor is the contribution to the stress–energy tensor due to the electromagnetic field. The stress–energy tensor describes the flow of energy and momentum in spacetime. The electromagnetic stress–energy tensor contains the negative of the classical Maxwell stress tensor that governs the electromagnetic interactions. Definition SI units In free space and flat space–time, the electromagnetic stress–energy tensor in SI units is :T^{\mu\nu} = \frac{1}{\mu_0} \left[ F^{\mu \alpha}F^\nu{}{\alpha} - \frac{1}{4} \eta^{\mu\nu}F{\alpha\beta} F^{\alpha\beta}\right] ,. where F^{\mu\nu} is the electromagnetic tensor and where \eta_{\mu\nu} is the Minkowski metric tensor of metric signature (− + + +). When using the metric with signature (+ − − −), the expression on the right of the equals s

R-current three-point functions in 4d N=1 superconformal theories

Andrea Manenti, Alessandro Vichi

In 4d N = 1 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) the R-symmetry current, the stress-energy tensor, and the supersymmetry currents are grouped into a single object, the Ferrara-Zumino multiplet. In this work we study the most general form of three-point functions involving two Ferrara-Zumino multiplets and a third generic multiplet. We solve the constraints imposed by conservation in superspace and show that non-trivial solutions can only be found if the third multiplet is R-neutral and transforms in suitable Lorentz representations. In the process we give a prescription for counting independent tensor structures in superconformal three-point functions. Finally, we set the Grassmann coordinates of the Ferrara-Zumino multiplets to zero and extract all three-point functions involving two R-currents and a third conformal primary. Our results pave the way for bootstrapping the correlation function of four R-currents in 4d N = 1 SCFTs.

SPRINGER2018

Photon energy dependence of the light pressure exerted onto a thin silicon slab

Giovanni Boero, Franz-Karl Reinhart

We review the theory of ponderomotive forces of classical nonionizing electromagnetic (EM) radiation exerted on dispersive matter. Minkowski's EM energy and momentum density lack any dispersion term in contrast to Nelson's theory, where they are included naturally. By considering force experiments on a dielectric mirror immersed in weakly dispersive liquids [R. V. Jones and B. Leslie, Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 360, 347 (1978)], we found that the appearance of the dispersive term should depend on the phase of the mirror reflectivity. It thus matters if the electric or the magnetic field is dominant at the interface. Accordingly, the force measurements depend on the boundary condition and do not permit to uniquely determine the EM momentum in the liquids. Force measurements as a function of the reflectivity phase would permit to experimentally verify the expressions for the EM energy density in a dispersive medium. In our experiments, we chop light beams of different photon energies to excite the motion of a very thin and long Si slab near its mechanical resonance under UHV conditions. This permits to study the force response, where the power reflectivity of the sample varies from 0.7 to smaller than 10(-3). The determination of the velocity of the slab with a Doppler interferometer yields the effective force exerted by the light beam. The measurements also confirm our theoretical considerations that the observed forces due to EM radiation cannot be traced to the EM momentum in matter, as the observed forces primarily depend on the boundary conditions. Minkowski's stress tensor remains applicable in our case thanks to the embedding of the Si slab in vacuum. Our quantitative analysis of the experimental data reveals an extra force of thermal origin most likely associated with the difference of the native oxide thickness on the surfaces of the slab. The estimated difference in oxide layer thickness amounts to similar to 4 nm.

2011

Photon energy dependence of the light pressure exerted onto a thin silicon slab

Giovanni Boero, Franz-Karl Reinhart

2011