Electromagnetic Cavity Resonances in Accelerated Systems

Abstract

Electromagnetic cavity-resonant frequencies in rotating systems are investigated through the covariant space-time formulation of the classical electromagnetic field theory in which the concept of the constitutive relation is introduced in a consistent manner. Three different types of rotating systems are considered: namely, (1) rotating cavity, stationary medium; (2) rotating cavity and medium; and (3) stationary cavity, rotating medium. In the most general form of the solution, it is shown that the electric and magnetic types of modes are coupled by the rotation. A set of coupled differential equations which describe the coupling is derived. Various relations for mode splitting are obtained on the basis of physical optics, and the customary approximations for geometrical optics are applied. It is found that the physical-optical approach leads to slight but interesting differences with respect to the existing earlier kinematical analysis by von Laue.