Testing photons' Bose-Einstein statistics with Compton scattering

Journal Article · Mon Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.82.101703· OSTI ID:21503575

Altschul, Brett ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208 (United States)

It is an empirical question whether photons always obey Bose-Einstein statistics, but devising and interpreting experimental tests of photon statistics can be a challenge. The nonrelativistic cross section for Compton scattering illustrates how a small admixture {nu} of wrong-sign statistics leads to a loss of gauge invariance; there is a large anomalous amplitude for scattering timelike photons. Nevertheless, one can interpret the observed transparency of the solar wind plasma at low frequencies as a bound {nu}<10{sup -25} if Lorentz symmetry is required. If there is instead a universal preferred frame, the bound is {nu}<10{sup -14}, still strong compared with previous results.

• OSTI ID: 21503575
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 82, Issue 10; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.82.101703; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
AMPLITUDES
BOSE-EINSTEIN STATISTICS
COMPTON EFFECT
CROSS SECTIONS
GAUGE INVARIANCE
OPACITY
PHOTONS
PLASMA
SCATTERING
SOLAR WIND
SYMMETRY
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BOSONS
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
INTERACTIONS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
MASSLESS PARTICLES
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR WINDS