Conveners
Extended theories of electromagnetism and their impact on laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations: Monday block 1
- Alessandro D.A.M. Spallicci (Universitรฉ d'Orlรฉans - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
- Claus Laemmerzahl (University of Bremen)
Extended theories of electromagnetism and their impact on laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations: Monday block 2
- Claus Laemmerzahl (University of Bremen)
- Alessandro D.A.M. Spallicci (Universitรฉ d'Orlรฉans - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
Extended theories of electromagnetism and their impact on laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations: Friday block 1
- Alessandro D.A.M. Spallicci (Universitรฉ d'Orlรฉans - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
- Claus Laemmerzahl (University of Bremen)
Extended theories of electromagnetism and their impact on laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations: Friday block 2
- Claus Laemmerzahl (University of Bremen)
- Alessandro D.A.M. Spallicci (Universitรฉ d'Orlรฉans - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
Description
Despite the detection of neutrinos, cosmic rays and recently gravitational waves, astronomy is largely based on electromagnetic signals, still interpreted with 19th century Maxwellian linear electromagnetism. But the latter might not be the right tool to interpret any electromagnetic phenomenon. For example, in the presence of strong fields or at extreme scales, Maxwellian electromagnetism may fail and become part of a larger theory, as Newtonian gravity is an approximation of the highly non-linear Einsteinian gravity. Meanwhile, inexplicable observations about the universe are prompting cosmologists to propose either new ingredients like dark matter and dark energy, as part of a complex multi-parametric concordance model, holding to general relativity. This approach leads to 96% of the universe being constituted by dark components experimentally undetected and not foreseen by the Standard Model (SM). Others, unconvinced of filling observations with enormous quantities of ad hoc ingredients, propose new theories of gravitation. Unfortunately, for this option, general relativity consistently records successes. Faced with this dichotomy and the respective pitfalls, a third (complementary) option is the study of the nature of the messenger: light. The photon is the only free massless particlle in the SM, and waves emerge from a 19th century linear theory. Could a different interpretation of light lead to a less troublesome interpretation of the universe? Which are the implications for gravity? Experiment oriented talks are welcome.
