Primordial torsion fields as an explanation of the anisotropy in cosmological electromagnetic propagation

Abstract

In this note we provide a simple explanation of the recent finding of anisotropy in electromagnetic (EM) propagation claimed by Nodland and Ralston (astro-ph/9704196). We consider, as a possible origin of such effect, the effective coupling between EM fields and some tiny background torsion field. The coupling is obtained after integrating out charged fermions, it is gauge invariant and does not require the introduction of any new physics.

8 pages, LaTeX, one figure, enlarged version with minor corrections

References in corpus (3)

• Indication of Anisotropy in Electromagnetic Propagation over Cosmological Distances
• Comment on the Appropriate Null Hypothesis for Cosmological Birefringence
• Response to Eisenstein and Bunn's Null Hypothesis Comment on Cosmological Birefringence

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• The action for the (propagating) torsion and the limits on the torsion parameters from present experimental data
• Torsion action and its possible observables
• On the interaction of massive spinor particles with external electromagnetic and torsion fields
• Lorentz-breaking effects in scalar-tensor theories of gravity
• Cosmic optical activity in the spacetime of a scalar-tensor screwed cosmic string
• Torsion, topology and CPT anomaly in two-dimensional chiral U(1) gauge theory
• Interpretation of the Global Anisotropy in the Radio Polarizations of Cosmologically Distant Sources
• Cosmological Behavior of a Parity and Charge-Parity Violating Varying Alpha Theory
• Constraining PCP Violating Varying Alpha Theory Through Laboratory Experiments
• Confining potential from interacting magnetic and torsion fields