Faraday effect is usually observed in medium. The light's polarization will change a little when it propagate in magnetic field. But what if there is no medium, just vacuum and magnetic field. Will the polarization of propagating light change then?
My understanding is that the optical Faraday effect in vacuum is essentially zero. However for an electron vortex beam, its inherent on axis magnetic field means that there can be a strong interaction. See nice paper by my colleague Sonja Franke-Arnold
Vacuum Faraday effect for electrons
New Journal of Physics (Impact Factor: 3.67). 04/2012; 14(10).
DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/14/10/103040
I don't think you can get the Faraday effect in a vacuum at all. It essentially relies on the polarisation components of the light interacting with electrons in the medium. The result is that one polarisation sees an enhanced field while the other sees a diminished field. Without the electrons present, you can't get this effect.
If your magnetic field is high enough to make quantum vacuum....there may be Faraday effect.
The Faraday effect in vacuum is absent, since the Faraday effect values for electrons and positrons have different signs, but are the same in magnitude..
Theory holds and is totally accepted that the Faraday Effect doesn't work in Space, yet only today do we have the 40 tesla magnets and the photo detectors to test such a minute deflection. So i claim that the Faraday effects effects a vacuum since it has not been disproved experimentally.
The experiment to observe the Faraday effect in vacuum is interesting in that it will show that particles and antiparticles have different properties-for example, charges and masses. This may explain one of the main mysteries - why antimatter is not found in space.
Mikhail;
The rational for magnetism could be confined to a one-verse or a universe.
The rational for coulomb forces however requires energy to come from somewhere and go somewhere therefore requires a two-verse i.e. a bi-verse.
In bi-verse theory all particles are portals or comprised of portals (quarks). Those in the ‘here-verse’ are their antiparticles in the ‘there-verse’. eg. An electron in the ‘here’ is a positron in the ‘there’ aka the antiverse. Under certain conditions particles can flip over-inside-out and expose their underbellies. Electrons do this regularly hence we see a presence of positrons. Meanwhile an observer in the antiverse sees anti-positrons. (electrons).
Since here a particle (portal) is its own antiparticle there can be no variation in mass.
Nonlinear optics in free space is one of least discussed fields in optics although this was realized in nineteen fifties. When higher order effects are summed up the Lagrangian is seen to be containing a term ~ [4(E2-B2)2 +7(E.B)2] besides the usual term E2-B2 and it leads to nonlinear relations between D and E and between B and H. Constitutive relations for free space become nonlinear but plane wave solutions remain acceptable.
However these effects are very small and undetectable with present day laser intensities. It is hoped that these will be detectable when several Mega Joule energy laser pulses are available.
Some references that come to to my mind are:
[1]. Birefringence of vacuum in the presence of a counter-propagating electromagnetic wave, R Prakash, P Shukla - International Journal of Modern Physics B, 2007.
[2]. Birefringence of the Vacuum, James J. Klein and B. P. Nigam, Phys. Rev. 135, B1279 – Published 7 September 1964
[3]. Birefringence and Dichroism of the QED Vacuum, Jeremy S. Heyl, Lars Hernquist, arXiv preprint hep-ph/9705367.
[4]. On the observation of vacuum birefringence, et al, T Heinzl ,
arXiv:hep-ph/0601076v1
In 1933 Max Delbrück attributed the scattering of gamma rays to the polarization of the vacuum by a coulomb ‘field’. This experiment demonstrated that an electrostatic coulomb zone can generate order in the Space inside the vacuum chamber.
If coulomb forces affect the ‘vacuum’ of space’ then a magnetic vortex should rotate it as in the Faraday effect.
In my work magnetism flows co-parallel with its current, not illogically encircling it which is the illusion conjured by Oersted’s compass.
Dr. Taylor, please explain a little bit more or give reference. I am interested in understanding your work.
Hari;
(1) I hold that magnetism flows co-parallel with its current not encircling it as Oersted’s compass or magnet conjured. If he observed that parallel currents attract then in the absence of a magnet he would have correctly and logically concluded that the co-parallel magnetic wind from each conductor requires less energy to flow between them than beyond them, therefore attraction. Current coils then have a vortex or magnetism within and surrounding them. Aligned coils with like spin attract. Magnets operate on Space so what is spinning???
(2) When we see that Magnetism rationally flows parallel with its current, then logical reasons manifest for electromagnetic phenomena.
(3) Amidst the restructure we loose Maxwell’s ridiculous interpretation of a polarized electromagnetic wave and its butterfly graphic image, because all the wave is now one plane polarized.
Moreover the reader will see how, since the electromagnetic transverse vectors are in sync then one can be redundant and that turns out to be the electric vector. After a few wavelengths the wave becomes purely magnetic.
As a vertically polarized purely magnetic wave travels thru a coil’s magnetic vortex tunnel it
(a) Will wobble alternatively left then right per half wave length.
(b) Should rotate a little because the environment is spinning.
Extracts from ‘Bi‑verse; The Cosmic Split”
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