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Paper   IPM / P / 8030
School of Physics
  Title:   Quantum Gravitational Optics: Effective Raychaudhuri Equation
  Author(s): 
1.  N. Ahmadi
2.  M. Nouri-Zonoz
  Status:   Published
  Journal: Phys. Rev. D
  Vol.:  74
  Year:  2006
  Pages:   044034
  Supported by:  IPM
  Abstract:
Vacuum polarization in QED in a background gravitational field induces interactions which effectively modify the classical picture of light rays, as the null geodesics of spacetime. These interactions violate the strong equivalence principle and affect the propagation of light leading to superluminal photon velocities. Taking into account the QED vacuum polarization, we study the propagation of a bundle of ray in a background gravitational field. To do so we study the perturbative deformation of Raychaudhuri equation through the influence of vacuum polarization on photon propagation. We analyze the contribution of the above interactions to the optical scalars namely, shear, vorticity and expansion using the Newman-Penrose formalism. Finally the application of the effective Raychaudhuri equation in the context of singularity theorems is discussed.

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