On Galilean invariance and nonlinearity in electrodynamics and quantum mechanics

Abstract

Recent experimental results on slow light heighten interest in nonlinear Maxwell theories. We obtain Galilei covariant equations for electromagnetism by allowing special nonlinearities in the constitutive equations only, keeping Maxwell's equations unchanged. Combining these with linear or nonlinear Schroedinger equations, e.g. as proposed by Doebner and Goldin, yields a Galilean quantum electrodynamics.