PhD comprehensive seminar | Nicholas Funai, Light matter interaction and their consequences in relativistic theory

M3-4206

Candidate

Nicholas Funai | Applied Math, University of Waterloo

Title

Light matter interaction and their consequences in relativistic theory

Abstract

Light matter interaction is modelled in several different ways, ranging from the exact minimal model for EM interactions to the Unruh-DeWitt interaction for scalar fields. My research has had two main objectives, one being how exploiting the Unruh-DeWitt interaction can lead to violations of classical energy conditions, which leads to exotic behaviour in the spacetime metric; the second being how valid the common approximations made to the exact minimal model for EM interactions are and what are the consequences of these approximations with regards to causality. In particular we focus on approximations such as the dipole approximation and the rotating wave approximations.