Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: As demonstrated by Chernodub, vacuum in a strong magnetic field behaves as Abrikosov vortex lattice in a type-II superconductor. We investigate electromagnetic behavior of vacuum in this state and demonstrate that vacuum behaves as a hyperbolic metamaterial. If the magnetic field is constant, low frequency extraordinary photons experience this medium as a (3+1) Minkowski spacetime in which the role of time is played by the spatial z coordinate. Variations of the magnetic field curve this spacetime, and may lead to formation of "electromagnetic black holes." Since hyperbolic metamaterials behave as diffractionless "perfect lenses," and large enough magnetic fields probably existed in the early Universe, the demonstrated hyperbolic behavior of early vacuum may have imprints in the large scale structure of the present-day Universe.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Author: Igor I. Smolyaninov
Institution: University of Maryland, College Park
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2115123814