Tachyons| Tachyons |
In General > s.a. causality
violations; modified lorentz symmetry;
photon.
* Idea: Particles with
negative squared mass; If they transform under the ordinary action of the Lorentz
group, as often assumed, they travel along spacelike directions, i.e. faster
than light or superluminally.
* Consequences: Existence
of tachyons and Lorentz invariance imply causality violations, so a tachyon
is considered to be sick in the context of particle mechanics, but in field
theory it just indicates an instability of a background.
* Description: Scalar
ones can be described by a Klein-Gordon theory, vector ones by a Proca theory,
with
m2 < 0.
* Pseudo-tachyons: Particles
which behave like tachyons in momentum space and like subluminal particles
(v < c) in ordinary space.
> Related topics: see wave phenomena [superluminal propagation].
References > s.a. casimir
effect; observational
cosmology.
@ Books, reviews: Kowalczynski 66; Kreisler AS(73);
in Gribbin 77; Herbert 89; Stonier 90.
@ General: Feinberg PR(67);
Feldman AJP(74)
[bibliography]; Lévy-Leblond AJP(80);
Arntzenius BJPS(90);
González-Mestres ap/95 [and
spacetime geometry]; Ehrlich AJP(03)
[and teaching].
@ Quantum: Fanchi FP(90)
[parametrized relativistic quantum mechanics].
@ And field theory / matter: Tanaka PTP(61);
Bilaniuk et al AJP(62);
Bers et al in(71); Moretti & Agresti
NCB(95) [Klein-Gordon]; González-Mestres ap/96 [HECR's];
Bollini et al IJTP(99)
[and electromagnetism]; Tomaschitz IJMPA(99).
@ And cosmology/inflation: Davidson PRD(87), & Owen PLB(86)
[particles as Kaluza-Klein tachyons]; Tomaschitz IJMPD(98)
[in FRW]; Feinstein PRD(02);
Gibbons
PLB(02)ht [rolling
down potential]; Fairbairn & Tytgat
PLB(02)ht;
Frolov et al PLB(02)ht;
Kofman & Linde JHEP(02)ht [problems];
Steer & Vernizzi
PRD(04)ht/03;
Gorini et al PRD(04);
Vernizzi & Steer
ap/04-in
[vs standard inflation]; > s.a. Rigidity.
@ As dark matter: Shiu & Wasserman PLB(02)ht;
Davies IJTP(04)ap.
@ As dark energy: Bagla et al PRD(03)ap/02;
Padmanabhan PRD(02)ht;
Copeland et al PRD(05)ht/04;
de la Macorra et al PLB(06)
[late-time behavior]; Calcagni & Liddle PRD(06).
@ Related topics: Asaro AJP(96)
[and complex velocity]; Davidson PE(01)qp/02 [motion
of charged ones]; Salesi IJMPA(97)qp/02 [pseudotachyonic
Fermions].
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25 may 2008