Electromagnetic waves in a high density field
- 1 February 1983
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Hindawi Limited in Laser and Particle Beams
- Vol. 1 (3) , 321-329
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0263034600000380
Abstract
Possible modifications of some of the properties of an electromagnetic wave by a medium in which it propagates, are studied. The mechanism for mass generation is investigated. It is shown that, for some purposes, a medium may be replaced by a curved space. Furthermore, if the nonlinear interaction terms between the electromagnetic wave and the curvature of space-time are included, the resulting Maxwell equations are modified. These additional terms may be identified with the photon's mass, which is proportional to the curvature scalar. A laser intensity above 1020 W/cm2 produces a mass of the photons of about 10−5 times the mass of the electrons.Keywords
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