Thomas precession for dressed particles. (25th January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Oblak, Blagoje
• Is Part Of: Classical and quantum gravity. Volume 35:Number 5(2018:Mar.)
• Publication Date: 2018-01-25
• Subjects: asymptotic symmetries -- Berry phases -- BMS symmetry -- gravity in (2 + 1) dimensions -- boundary gravitons; Quantum gravity -- Periodicals; Gravitation -- Periodicals; Relativity (Physics) -- Periodicals; Space and time -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 521.1
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6382/aaa69e
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-9381

Abstract

Abstract: We consider a particle dressed with boundary gravitons in three-dimensional Minkowski space. The existence of BMS transformations implies that the particle's wavefunction picks up a Berry phase when subjected to changes of reference frames that trace a closed path in the asymptotic symmetry group. We evaluate this phase and show that, for BMS superrotations, it provides a gravitational generalization of Thomas precession. In principle, such phases are observable signatures of asymptotic symmetries.