Ukrainian Journal of Physical Optics

Comment on “Effective Refractive Index Tensor for Weak-Field Gravity” by P. Boonserm, C. Cattoen, T. Faber, M. Visser and S. Weinfurtner (download full version)

R O Vlokh and M E Kostyrko

P. Boonserm et. al have tried to describe some anisotropic optical effects in the gravitation field in frame of the general relativity and by introducing the so-called “effective refractive index tensor” similarly to anisotropic crystals. We suppose that this approach is inconsequent because of the following: if one develops this claim, it would be necessary to attribute the gravitation field to the properties of matter, including its electric properties, the refractive index is not a tensorial quantity and the analogy to the situation in anisotropic crystals does not lead to artificial “effective refractive index tensor” but to naturally introduced tensor of optical-frequency dielectric impermeability of matter.

Key words: weak-field gravity, refractive index

PACS: 04.20.-q, 78.20.Ci

doi 10.3116/16091833/7/3/147/2006

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