Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: The currently accepted value for the upper bound for the photon mass, m ph , is 22 orders of magnitude less than the electron mass. As the mass m ph is so incredibly small, it has essentially no effect on atomic and nuclear physics; and it is very difficult to improve this estimate by laboratory experiments. However, even a very small mass may have a significant effect on astrophysical phenomena occurring on a scale exceeding the photon Compton length (where for the currently accepted mass). A set of magnetohydrodynamic equations (assuming a finite photon mass) are used to analyze properties of the solar wind at Pluto's orbit. This yields an improved (reduced) by a factor of 70 estimate of the photon mass. Possible opportunities and challenges for the further reduction of the upper limit for m ph based on the properties of larger-scale astrophysical objects are discussed.
Author: D D Ryutov
Institution: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2086164747