Enhancement of Electromagnetic Memory Effects

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that electromagnetic memory effects can be significantly amplified in certain Lorentz-violating and ultra-relativistic conditions, potentially enabling experimental observation and testing of fundamental symmetries.

Contribution

It introduces mechanisms for enhancing electromagnetic memory effects through Lorentz symmetry breaking and ultra-relativistic sources, expanding possibilities for experimental detection.

Findings

Memory amplitude can be increased by Lorentz symmetry breaking.

Ultra-relativistic charges also amplify electromagnetic memory.

Enhanced effects may facilitate laboratory tests of asymptotic symmetries.

Abstract

We show that the amplitude of electromagnetic memory can be significantly enhanced in comparison to known estimates. In a Lorentz breaking phase of lowered phase velocity of light, there exist critical spacetime directions of memory-source emission along the effective light cone, about which the total memory offset receives order of magnitude increases. The same amplification is already present in the Lorentz preserving case by considering ultra-relativistic memory-source charges. These observations may pave the way for a first observation of the phenomenon of memory and laboratory tests of the concepts of asymptotic symmetries and soft theorems.