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A Physically-Motivated Quantisation of the Electromagnetic Field on Curved Spacetimes

Authors :
Ben Maybee
Daniel Hodgson
Almut Beige
Robert Purdy
Source :
Entropy, Vol 21, Iss 9, p 844 (2019)
Publication Year :
2019
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2019.

Abstract

Recently, Bennett et al. (Eur. J. Phys. 37:014001, 2016) presented a physically-motivated and explicitly gauge-independent scheme for the quantisation of the electromagnetic field in flat Minkowski space. In this paper we generalise this field quantisation scheme to curved spacetimes. Working within the standard assumptions of quantum field theory and only postulating the physicality of the photon, we derive the Hamiltonian, H ^ , and the electric and magnetic field observables, E ^ and B ^ , respectively, without having to invoke a specific gauge. As an example, we quantise the electromagnetic field in the spacetime of an accelerated Minkowski observer, Rindler space, and demonstrate consistency with other field quantisation schemes by reproducing the Unruh effect.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
10994300
Volume :
21
Issue :
9
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Entropy
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.8a9dac8f50cd4689bb5022d258651f94
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/e21090844