pith. machine review for the scientific record. sign in

arxiv: astro-ph/9505100 · v1 · submitted 1995-05-22 · 🌌 astro-ph · gr-qc

Recognition: unknown

No birefringence in Einstein's gravity

Authors on Pith no claims yet
classification 🌌 astro-ph gr-qc
keywords einsteinbirefringencefollowgeodesicsgravityphotonspolarisationdependent
0
0 comments X
read the original abstract

Einstein's theory predicts that, massive test particles with non-zero spin or angular momentum, in an external gravitation field, follow geodesics which depend upon the orientation of the spin-angular momentum . It has been claimed that such an effect also holds for photons i.e. photons with different helicities follow different geodesics in the gravitational field of a rotating body and would give rise to a polarisation dependent deflection of light passing in the vicinity of the sun or a polarisation dependent time delay of pulsar signals . We show here that contrary to earlier claims , in Einstein's gravity there is no birefringence and photons follow null geodesics irrespective of polarisation. Thus if gravitational birefringence is ever observed experimentally it would be a signal of new physics beyond Einstein's gravity

This paper has not been read by Pith yet.

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.