Photon Mass and the Galactic Magnetic Field
- 28 June 1971
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 26 (26) , 1651-1652
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.26.1651
Abstract
If the photon has a finite rest mass , a filament of magnetic flux sustained by a partially ionized gas decays exponentially at a rate proportional to . Arguing from assumptions regarding the galactic magnetic field that are plausible though not yet rigorously established, we find an upper limit gm, corresponding to a Compton wavelength of 6 lt yr.
Keywords
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