Katherine Jones-Smith, Francesc Ferrer
The late-time accelerated expansion of the universe could be caused by a
scalar field that is screened on small scales, as in chameleon or symmetron
scenarios. We present an analogy between thin shell configurations of such
scalar fields and electrostatics, which allows calculation of the field profile
for general extended bodies. Interestingly, the field demonstrates a `lightning
rod' effect, where it becomes enhanced near the ends of a pointy or elongated
object. Drawing from this correspondence, we show that non-spherical test
bodies immersed in a background field will experience a net torque caused by
the scalar field. This effect, with no counterpart in the gravitational case,
can be potentially tested in future experiments.
View original:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.6085
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