Related papers: Is $n\sin\theta$ conserved along light path?
The persistence exponent, theta, is defined by N_F sim t^theta, where t is the time since the start of the coarsening process and the "no-flip fraction", N_F, is the number of points that have not seen a change of "color" since t=0. Here we…
A light beam changes direction as it enters a liquid at an angle from another medium, such as air. Should the liquid contain molecules that lack mirror symmetry, then it has been predicted by Fresnel that the light beam will not only change…
We prove the property that a function is cyclic (resp., non-cyclic) is not preserved by norm convergence in Dirichlet-type spaces $D_\alpha$, and show how other significant quantities for cyclicity do remain preserved under the limit of…
The c-equivalence principle, commonly accepted as true by most physicists, is the unstated assumption that $1/\sqrt{\epsilon_o \mu_o}$ equals the kinematic speed of light. Should someone prove the principle false, it would render the…
Our everyday experience teaches us that the structure of a medium strongly influences how light propagates through it. A disordered medium, e.g., appears transparent or opaque, depending on whether its structure features a mean free path…
For light, its spin can be independent of the spatial distribution of its wave function, whereas its intrinsic orbital angular momentum does depend on this distribution. This difference suggests that the spin Hall effect might differ from…
At present, the theory of light diffraction only has the simple wave-optical approach. In this paper, we study light diffraction with the approach of relativistic quantum theory. We find that the slit length, slit width, slit thickness and…
A unique perspective approach based on an analogy method is presented to solve the ray equation in a model of a continuous inhomogeneous medium, which has a spherically symmetric distribution. Basically, in the standard undergraduate…
Steep or near-vertical Floquet dispersion in photonic time crystals (PTCs) is often read as fast, even apparently superluminal, transport. Here, we demonstrate that this anomaly arises from modulation-driven geometric drift, not energy…
A scintillator is a material which converts incoming ionizing energy into visible light. This conversion process, which is a strongly nonlinear one, can be described by a Reaction-Diffusion-Drift equation we obtain from a model of continua…
The brightness theorem---brightness is nonincreasing in passive systems---is a foundational conservation law, with applications ranging from photovoltaics to displays, yet it is restricted to the field of ray optics. For general linear wave…
The momentum of light in a medium and the mechanisms of momentum transfer between light and dielectrics have long been the topic of controversies and confusion. We discuss here the problem of momentum transfers that follow the refraction of…
We study the deflection and time delay of light by the Sun in general scalar extensions of the Standard Model which may violate the equivalence principle. Despite the presence of the interaction $\phi FF$ or $\phi F \tilde{F}$ between the…
The possible time variation of the fundamental constants of nature has been an active subject of research since the large-number hypothesis was proposed by Dirac. In this paper, we propose a new method to investigate a possible time…
That the speed of light in free space is constant is a cornerstone of modern physics. However, light beams have finite transverse size, which leads to a modification of their wavevectors resulting in a change to their phase and group…
We study strain localization in slow shear flow focusing on layered granular materials. A heretofore unknown effect is presented here. We show that shear zones are refracted at material interfaces in analogy with refraction of light beams…
To consider a medium carrying light and electromagnetic waves is impossible, when this medium shall have properties according to the principle of constant speed of light, that is, isotropy of speed of light in every system of reference.…
I show the decisive difference between genuine transverse Fresnel drag of light in a moving medium and the "spatial shift" measured with a time dependent interference pattern of light traversing a homogeneous finite medium (J. Leach et al.,…
The interaction between a light pulse, traveling in air, and a generic linear, non-absorbing and dispersive structure is analyzed. It is shown that energy conservation imposes a constraint between the group velocities of the transmitted and…
It is well-known that the circulation of the velocity field of a fluid along a closed material curve is conserved for any solution of the Euler equation. We offer a slightly more explicit proof of that fact than that generally found in the…