Magnetoelectric boundary simulated by a Chern–Simons-like model

Abstract

Abstract In this work we study some physical phenomena that emerge in the vicinity of a magnetoelectric boundary. For simplicity, we restrict to the case of a planar boundary described by a coupling between the gauge field with a planar external Chern–Simons-like potential. The results are obtained exactly. We compute the correction undergone by the photon propagator due to the presence of the Chern–Simons coupling and we investigate the interaction between a stationary point-like charge and the magnetoelectric boundary. In the limit of a perfect mirror, where the coupling constant between the field and the potential diverges, we recover the image method. For a non perfect mirror, we show that we have an attenuated image charge and, in addition, an image magnetic monopole whose field strength does not exhibit the presence of the undesirable and artificial divergences introduced by Dirac strings. We also study the interaction between the plate and a quantum particle with spin. In this case we have a kind of charge-magnetic dipole interaction due to the magnetoelectric properties of the plate.