Electromagnetic fields and charges in expanding universes

Abstract

We analyze the properties of the electric and magnetic fields in different reference frames within a cosmological background space-time. First, we investigate the conformal properties of the electromagnetic fields and charge currents, discussing how the spatial curvature of the universe affects the field on different scales. Then, we analyze the effects of the expansion of the universe on local electromagnetic sources using Fermi coordinates. In particular, we investigate the energy balance and Poynting flux in this locally defined reference frame. We show that a charge following the Hubble flow in an accelerated FLRW universe is accelerated as seen by the local inertial frame, leading to non-null radiation.