Sokolov--Ternov effect in rotating systems

Abstract

We study electromagnetic radiation by electrically charged fermions embedded in a rotating medium in an external magnetic field. We compute the dependence of the radiation intensity on the angular velocity $\Omega$ of the rotating medium for fermion polarizations along and opposite the magnetic field direction in intense subcritical fields. The polarization dependence of the photon radiation results in the Sokolov--Ternov effect -- the radiative polarization of fermions. We study the dependence of the degree of polarziation on $\Omega$. We found that rotation significantly changes the degree of polarization. We show that the rotating quark-gluon plasma acquires a finite magnetic moment that exhibits complex dependence on $\Omega$.

Comments: 18 pages, v2: minor improvements in figures, expanded conclusions