Abstract
We discuss a new mechanism which could cause a rotation of polarization of electromagnetic waves due to magnetic fields on cosmological scales. The effect hinges on the geometrical phase of Pancharatnam and Berry, and causes a corkscrew twisting of the plane of polarization. The new effect represents an additional tool that allows possible intergalactic and cosmological magnetic fields to be studied using radio propagation.
- Received 25 June 1997
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.26
©1998 American Physical Society