https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-5398-0
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Propagation of monochromatic light in a hot and dense medium
Department of Physical and Applied Sciences, University of Houston Clear Lake, Houston, TX, 77058, USA
* e-mail: masood@uhcl.edu
Received:
24
October
2017
Accepted:
20
November
2017
Published online:
4
December
2017
Photons, as quanta of electromagnetic fields, determine the electromagnetic properties of an extremely hot and dense medium. Considering the properties of the photons in the interacting medium of charged particles, we explicitly calculate the electromagnetic properties such as the electric permittivity, magnetic permeability, refractive index and the propagation speed of electromagnetic signals in an extremely hot and dense background. Photons acquire a dynamically generated mass in such a medium. The screening mass of the photon, the Debye shielding length and the plasma frequency are calculated as functions of the statistical parameters of the medium. We study the properties of the propagating particles in astrophysical systems of distinct statistical conditions. The modifications in the properties of the medium lead to the equation of state of the system. We mainly calculate all these parameters for extremely high temperatures of the early universe.
© The Author(s), 2017
