Quantum light-cone fluctuations in compactified spacetimes

Journal Article · Tue Dec 15 04:00:00 EST 2009 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.80.124019· OSTI ID:21313611

Hongwei, Yu; Svaiter, N F; Ford, L H ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Institute of Physics, and Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Structure and Quantum Control of the Ministry of Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081 (China)

We treat the effects of compactified spatial dimensions on the propagation of light in the uncompactified directions in the context of linearized quantum gravity. We find that the flight times of pulses can fluctuate due to modification of the graviton vacuum by the compactification. In the case of a five-dimensional Kaluza-Klein theory, the mean variation in flight time can grow logarithmically with the flight distance. This effect is in principle observable, but too small to serve as a realistic probe of the existence of extra dimensions. This differs from the conclusion reached in an earlier work. We also examine the effect of the compactification on the widths of spectral lines, and find that there is a small line narrowing effect. This effect is also small for compactification well above the Planck scale, but might serve as a test of the existence of extra dimensions.

• OSTI ID: 21313611
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 80; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
COMPACTIFICATION
FLUCTUATIONS
KALUZA-KLEIN THEORY
LIGHT CONE
LINE NARROWING
MANY-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
MODIFICATIONS
PULSES
QUANTUM GRAVITY