Related papers: On the Electric-Magnetic Duality Symmetry: Quantum…
The classical symmetry of the source-free Maxwell equations under electric-magnetic duality rotations leads to a conserved Noether charge, corresponding to the circular polarization of light. We show that, in quantum field theory, the…
It is well known that the source-free Maxwell equations are invariant under electric-magnetic duality rotations, F --> F cos {\theta} + *F sin {\theta}. These transformations are indeed a symmetry of the theory in Noether sense. The…
The source-free Maxwell action is invariant under electric-magnetic duality rotations in arbitrary spacetimes. This leads to a conserved classical Noether charge. We show that this conservation law is broken at the quantum level in presence…
The vacuum Einstein equations admit a formulation closely analogous to the source-free Maxwell theory. In particular, the linearized equations exhibit an electric-magnetic duality symmetry. We develop a framework that makes this analogy…
It is known that an electric-magnetic duality transformation is a symmetry of the classical source-free Maxwell theory in generic spacetimes. This provides a conserved Noether charge, physically related to the polarization state of the…
Particle creation by strong and time-varying backgrounds is a robust prediction of quantum field theory. Another well-established feature of field theory is that classical symmetries do not always extend to the quantized theory. When this…
We compare several definitions of photon helicity (magnetic, electric, electromagnetic) present in literature. In curved spacetime quantum anomalies can spoil helicity conservation inducing, according to these definitions, different effects…
In quantum field theory, photon pairs can be excited out of the vacuum under the influence of dynamical gravitational fields. If the classical electromagnetic duality symmetry held at the quantum level, equal numbers of right- vs…
The electromagnetic duality symmetry of Maxwell's equations in vacuum implies that the circular polarization $Q$ of classical electromagnetic waves is conserved. In quantum field theory, the normal-ordered operator $\hat Q$ represents the…
Vacuum fluctuations of quantum fields are altered in presence of a strong gravitational background, with important physical consequences. We argue that a non-trivial spacetime geometry can act as an optically active medium for quantum…
We point out that the duality symmetry of free electromagnetism does not hold in the quantum theory if an arbitrary classical gravitational background is present. The symmetry breaks in the process of renormalization, as also happens with…
The space-time curvature carried by electromagnetic fields is discovered and a new unification of geometry and electromagnetism is found. Curvature is invariant under charge reversal symmetry. Electromagnetic field equations are examined…
The duality symmetry between electricity and magnetism hidden in classical Maxwell equations suggests the existence of dual charges, which have usually been interpreted as magnetic charges and have not been observed in experiments. In…
We discuss under what conditions the duality between electric and magnetic fields is a valid symmetry of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics. It is shown that Maxwell's equations in the absence of free charges satisfy duality invariance on…
Modern physics is largely devoted to study conservation laws, such as charge, energy, linear momentum or angular momentum, because they give us information about the symmetries of our universe. Here, we propose to add the relationship…
Chiral symmetries in field theory are typically affected by an anomaly in the quantum theory. This anomaly emerges when one introduces an interaction with a Yang-Mills or gravitational background. Physical applications of this quantum…
We show that binary black hole mergers with precessing evolution can potentially excite photons from the quantum vacuum in such a way that total helicity is not preserved in the process. Helicity violation is allowed by quantum fluctuations…
We describe the interplay between electric-magnetic duality and higher symmetry in Maxwell theory. When the fine-structure constant is rational, the theory admits non-invertible symmetries which can be realized as composites of…
Electromagnetic duality is a symmetry of the source-free Einstein-Maxwell equations that rotates electric and magnetic fields while leaving the stress-energy tensor invariant. We present the first fully nonlinear realization of this…
Exploiting novel aspects of the quantum geometry of charged particles in a magnetic field via gauge-invariant variables, we provide tangible connections between the response of quantum Hall fluids to non-uniform electric fields and the…