Statistical mechanics and Lorentz violation

Journal Article · Wed Dec 15 04:00:00 EST 2004 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.70.125007· OSTI ID:20698281

Colladay, Don; McDonald, Patrick ^[1]

---

1. New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida 34234 (United States)

The theory of statistical mechanics is studied in the presence of Lorentz-violating background fields. The analysis is performed using the Standard-Model Extension (SME) together with a Jaynesian formulation of statistical inference. Conventional laws of thermodynamics are obtained in the presence of a perturbed hamiltonian that contains the Lorentz-violating terms. As an example, properties of the nonrelativistic ideal gas are calculated in detail. To lowest order in Lorentz violation, the scalar thermodynamic variables are only corrected by a rotationally invariant combination of parameters that mimics a (frame dependent) effective mass. Spin-couplings can induce a temperature-independent polarization in the classical gas that is not present in the conventional case. Precision measurements in the residual expectation values of the magnetic moment of Fermi gases in the limit of high temperature may provide interesting limits on these parameters.

• OSTI ID: 20698281
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 70; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CONSERVATION LAWS
COUPLING
EFFECTIVE MASS
FERMI GAS
FERMIONS
HAMILTONIANS
MAGNETIC MOMENTS
POLARIZATION
QUANTUM MECHANICS
SPIN
STANDARD MODEL
STATISTICAL MECHANICS
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMICS