TY - JOUR A1 - Rätzel, Dennis A1 - Wilkens, Martin A1 - Menzel, Ralf T1 - Effect of polarization entanglement in photon-photon scattering JF - Physical review : A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics N2 - It is found that the differential cross section of photon-photon scattering is a function of the degree of polarization entanglement of the two-photon state. A reduced general expression for the differential cross section of photon-photon scattering is derived by applying simple symmetry arguments. An explicit expression is obtained for the example of photon-photon scattering due to virtual electron-positron pairs in quantum electrodynamics. It is shown how the effect in this explicit example can be explained as an effect of quantum interference and that it fits with the idea of distance-dependent forces. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.95.012101 SN - 2469-9926 SN - 2469-9934 VL - 95 IS - 1 PB - American Physical Society CY - College Park ER - TY - THES A1 - Rätzel, Dennis T1 - Tensorial spacetime geometries and background-independent quantum field theory T1 - Tensorielle Raumzeit-Geometrien und hintergrundunabhängige Quantenfeldtheorie N2 - Famously, Einstein read off the geometry of spacetime from Maxwell's equations. Today, we take this geometry that serious that our fundamental theory of matter, the standard model of particle physics, is based on it. However, it seems that there is a gap in our understanding if it comes to the physics outside of the solar system. Independent surveys show that we need concepts like dark matter and dark energy to make our models fit with the observations. But these concepts do not fit in the standard model of particle physics. To overcome this problem, at least, we have to be open to matter fields with kinematics and dynamics beyond the standard model. But these matter fields might then very well correspond to different spacetime geometries. This is the basis of this thesis: it studies the underlying spacetime geometries and ventures into the quantization of those matter fields independently of any background geometry. In the first part of this thesis, conditions are identified that a general tensorial geometry must fulfill to serve as a viable spacetime structure. Kinematics of massless and massive point particles on such geometries are introduced and the physical implications are investigated. Additionally, field equations for massive matter fields are constructed like for example a modified Dirac equation. In the second part, a background independent formulation of quantum field theory, the general boundary formulation, is reviewed. The general boundary formulation is then applied to the Unruh effect as a testing ground and first attempts are made to quantize massive matter fields on tensorial spacetimes. N2 - Bekanntermaßen hat Albert Einstein die Geometrie der Raumzeit an den Maxwell-Gleichungen abgelesen. Heutzutage nehmen wie diese Geometrie so ernst, dass unsere fundamentale Materietheorie, das Standardmodell der Teilchenphysik, darauf beruht. Sobald es jedoch um die Physik außerhalb des Sonnensystems geht, scheinen einige Dinge unverstanden zu sein. Unabhängige Beobachtungsreihen zeigen, dass wir Konzepte wie dunkle Materie und dunkle Energie brauchen um unsere Modelle mit den Beobachtungen in Einklang zu bringen. Diese Konzepte passen aber nicht in das Standardmodell der Teilchenphysik. Um dieses Problem zu überwinden, müssen wir zumindest offen sein für Materiefelder mit Kinematiken und Dynamiken die über das Standardmodell hinaus gehen. Diese Materiefelder könnten dann aber auch durchaus zu anderen Raumzeitgeometrien gehören. Das ist die Grundlage dieser Arbeit: sie untersucht die zugehörigen Raumzeitgeometrien und beschäftigt sich mit der Quantisierung solcher Materiefelder unabhängig von jeder Hintergrundgeometrie. Im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit werden Bedingungen identifiziert, die eine allgemeine tensorielle Geometrie erfüllen muss um als sinnvolle Raumzeitgeometrie dienen zu können. Die Kinematik masseloser und massiver Punktteilchen auf solchen Raumzeitgeometrien werden eingeführt und die physikalischen Implikationen werden untersucht. Zusätzlich werden Feldgleichungen für massive Materiefelder konstruiert, wie zum Beispiel eine modifizierte Dirac-Gleichung. Im zweiten Teil wird eine hintergrundunabhängige Formulierung der Quantenfeldtheorie, die General Boundary Formulation, betrachtet. Die General Boundary Formulation wird dann auf den Unruh-Effekt angewendet und erste Versuche werden unternommen massive Materiefelder auf tensoriellen Raumzeiten zu quantisieren. KW - Quantenfeldtheorie KW - Raumzeitgeometrie KW - Hochenergiephysik KW - Elementarteilchen KW - Unruh-Effekt KW - quantum field theory KW - spacetime geometry KW - high energy physics KW - elementary particles KW - Unruh effect Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-65731 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Rätzel, Dennis A1 - Wilkens, Martin A1 - Menzel, Ralf T1 - Gravitational properties of light BT - the gravitational field of a laser pulse N2 - The gravitational field of a laser pulse of finite lifetime, is investigated in the framework of linearized gravity. Although the effects are very small, they may be of fundamental physical interest. It is shown that the gravitational field of a linearly polarized light pulse is modulated as the norm of the corresponding electric field strength, while no modulations arise for circular polarization. In general, the gravitational field is independent of the polarization direction. It is shown that all physical effects are confined to spherical shells expanding with the speed of light, and that these shells are imprints of the spacetime events representing emission and absorption of the pulse. Nearby test particles at rest are attracted towards the pulse trajectory by the gravitational field due to the emission of the pulse, and they are repelled from the pulse trajectory by the gravitational field due to its absorption. Examples are given for the size of the attractive effect. It is recovered that massless test particles do not experience any physical effect if they are co-propagating with the pulse, and that the acceleration of massless test particles counter-propagating with respect to the pulse is four times stronger than for massive particles at rest. The similarities between the gravitational effect of a laser pulse and Newtonian gravity in two dimensions are pointed out. The spacetime curvature close to the pulse is compared to that induced by gravitational waves from astronomical sources. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 222 KW - electromagnetic radiation KW - general relativity KW - gravity KW - laser pulses KW - linearized gravity KW - pp-wave solutions Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-90553 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rätzel, Dennis A1 - Wilkens, Martin A1 - Menzel, Ralf T1 - Gravitational properties of light BT - the gravitational field of a laser pulse JF - New journal of physics : the open-access journal for physics N2 - The gravitational field of a laser pulse of finite lifetime, is investigated in the framework of linearized gravity. Although the effects are very small, they may be of fundamental physical interest. It is shown that the gravitational field of a linearly polarized light pulse is modulated as the norm of the corresponding electric field strength, while no modulations arise for circular polarization. In general, the gravitational field is independent of the polarization direction. It is shown that all physical effects are confined to spherical shells expanding with the speed of light, and that these shells are imprints of the spacetime events representing emission and absorption of the pulse. Nearby test particles at rest are attracted towards the pulse trajectory by the gravitational field due to the emission of the pulse, and they are repelled from the pulse trajectory by the gravitational field due to its absorption. Examples are given for the size of the attractive effect. It is recovered that massless test particles do not experience any physical effect if they are co-propagating with the pulse, and that the acceleration of massless test particles counter-propagating with respect to the pulse is four times stronger than for massive particles at rest. The similarities between the gravitational effect of a laser pulse and Newtonian gravity in two dimensions are pointed out. The spacetime curvature close to the pulse is compared to that induced by gravitational waves from astronomical sources. KW - gravity KW - general relativity KW - laser pulses KW - electromagnetic radiation KW - linearized gravity KW - pp-wave solutions Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/18/2/023009 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 18 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - IOP Science CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rätzel, Dennis A1 - Wilkens, Martin A1 - Menzel, Ralf T1 - Gravitational properties of light-the gravitational field of a laser pulse JF - NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS N2 - The gravitational field of a laser pulse of finite lifetime, is investigated in the framework of linearized gravity. Although the effects are very small, they may be of fundamental physical interest. It is shown that the gravitational field of a linearly polarized light pulse is modulated as the norm of the corresponding electric field strength, while no modulations arise for circular polarization. In general, the gravitational field is independent of the polarization direction. It is shown that all physical effects are confined to spherical shells expanding with the speed of light, and that these shells are imprints of the spacetime events representing emission and absorption of the pulse. Nearby test particles at rest are attracted towards the pulse trajectory by the gravitational field due to the emission of the pulse, and they are repelled from the pulse trajectory by the gravitational field due to its absorption. Examples are given for the size of the attractive effect. It is recovered that massless test particles do not experience any physical effect if they are co-propagating with the pulse, and that the acceleration of massless test particles counter-propagating with respect to the pulse is four times stronger than for massive particles at rest. The similarities between the gravitational effect of a laser pulse and Newtonian gravity in two dimensions are pointed out. The spacetime curvature close to the pulse is compared to that induced by gravitational waves from astronomical sources. KW - gravity KW - general relativity KW - laser pulses KW - electromagnetic radiation KW - linearized gravity KW - pp-wave solutions Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/18/2/023009 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 18 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rätzel, Dennis A1 - Wilkens, Martin A1 - Menzel, Ralf T1 - The effect of entanglement in gravitational photon-photon scattering JF - epl : a letters journal exploring the frontiers of physics N2 - The differential cross-section for gravitational photon-photon scattering calculated in perturbative quantum gravity is shown to depend on the degree of polarization entanglement of the two photons. The interaction between photons in the symmetric Bell state is stronger than between not entangled photons. In contrast, the interaction between photons in the anti-symmetric Bell state is weaker than between not entangled photons. The results are interpreted in terms of quantum interference, and it is shown how they fit into the idea of distance-dependent forces. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2016 Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/115/51002 SN - 0295-5075 SN - 1286-4854 VL - 115 SP - S12 EP - S13 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Mulhouse ER -