Effects on light propagating in an electromagnetized vacuum, as predicted by a particular class of scalar–tensor theory of gravitation

Abstract

The effect of static electromagnetic fields on the propagation of light is analyzed in the context of a particular class of scalar–tensor gravitational theories. It is found that for appropriate field configurations and light polarization, anomalous amplitude variations of the light as it propagates in either a magnetized or an electrified vacuum are strong enough to be detectable in relatively simple laboratory experiments.