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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2289/2403
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dc.contributor.authorSamuel, J.-
dc.contributor.authorNityananda, R.-
dc.date.accessioned2007-05-25T08:08:48Z-
dc.date.available2007-05-25T08:08:48Z-
dc.date.issued2000-04-
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Physics A, 2000, Vol.33, p2895-2905en
dc.identifier.issn1751-8113-
dc.identifier.issn1751-8121 (Online)-
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2289/2403-
dc.descriptionRestricted Access. An open-access version is available at arXiv.org (one of the alternative locations)en
dc.description.abstractFermi transport is useful for describing the behaviour of spins or gyroscopes following non-geodesic, timelike worldlines. However, Fermi transport breaks down for null worldlines. We introduce a transport law for polarization vectors along non-geodesic null curves. We show how this law emerges naturally from the geometry of null directions by comparing polarization vectors associated with two distinct null directions. We then give a spinorial treatment of this topic and make contact with the geometric phase of quantum mechanics. There are two significant differences between the null and timelike cases. In the null case (a) the transport law does not approach a unique smooth limit as the null curve approaches a null geodesic and (b) the transport law for vectors is integrable, i.e. the result depends only on the local properties of the curve and not on the entire path taken. However, the transport of spinors is not integrable: there is a global sign of topological origin.en
dc.format.extent115005 bytes-
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf-
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherIOP Publishing Ltd.en
dc.relation.urihttp://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?2000JPhA...33.2895Sen
dc.relation.urihttp://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0005096en
dc.relation.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0305-4470/33/14/318en
dc.rights2000 IOP Publishing Ltd.en
dc.titleTransport along null curvesen
dc.typeArticleen
Appears in Collections:Research Papers (A&A)

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