Torsion-induced spin precession

Abstract

We investigate the motion of a spinning test particle in a spatially-flat FRW-type space-time in the framework of the Einstein-Cartan theory. The space-time has a torsion arising from a spinning fluid filling the space-time. We show that for spinning particles with nonzero transverse spin components, the torsion induces a precession of particle spin around the direction of the fluid spin. We also show that a charged spinning particle moving in a torsion-less spatially-flat FRW space-time in the presence of a uniform magnetic field undergoes a precession of a different character.