Classical and quantum aspects of the radiation emitted by a uniformly accelerated charge: Larmor-Unruh reconciliation and zero-frequency Rindler modes

André G. S. Landulfo, Stephen A. Fulling, and George E. A. Matsas
Phys. Rev. D 100, 045020 – Published 22 August 2019

Abstract

The interplay between acceleration and radiation harbors remarkable and surprising consequences. One of the most striking is that the Larmor radiation emitted by a charge can be seen as a consequence of the Unruh thermal bath. Indeed, this connection between the Unruh effect and classical bremsstrahlung was used recently to propose an experiment to confirm (as directly as possible) the existence of the Unruh thermal bath. This situation may sound puzzling in two ways: first, because the Unruh effect is a strictly quantum effect while Larmor radiation is a classical one, and second, because of the crucial role played by zero-frequency Rindler photons in this context. In this paper we settle these two issues by showing how the quantum evolution leads naturally to all relevant aspects of Larmor radiation and, especially, how the corresponding classical radiation is entirely built from such zero-Rindler-energy modes.

  • Figure
  • Received 15 July 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.100.045020

© 2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Particles & Fields

Authors & Affiliations

André G. S. Landulfo1,*, Stephen A. Fulling2,3,†, and George E. A. Matsas4,‡

  • 1Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Avenida dos Estados, 5001, 09210-580 Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 2Department of Physics & Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4242, USA
  • 3Department of Mathematics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3368, USA
  • 4Instituto de Física Teórica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rua Dr. Bento Teobaldo Ferraz, 271, 01140-070 São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

  • *andre.landulfo@ufabc.edu.br
  • fulling@math.tamu.edu
  • george.matsas@unesp.br

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Vol. 100, Iss. 4 — 15 August 2019

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