Related papers: Negative Energy Densities in Quantum Field Theory
In the semiclassical quantum gravity derived from the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, the energy density of a matter field loses quantum coherence due to the induced gauge potential from the parametric interaction with gravity in a non-static…
Physicists have speculated about the properties of the quantum vacuum for at least 85 years; however, only recently have they understood the quantum vacuum sufficiently well to begin making testable predictions. Specifically, using…
It is shown that quantum vacuum fluctuations give rise to a curvature of space-time of the order appropriate to explain the observed accelerated expansion of the universe. The fact that the fluctuations produce curvature, even if the…
Quantum field theory violates all the classical energy conditions of general relativity. Nonetheless, it turns out that quantum field theories satisfy remnants of the classical energy conditions, known as Quantum Energy Inequalities (QEIs),…
We present a general procedure for calculating one-loop ``Casimir'' energy densities for a scalar field coupled to a fixed potential in renormalized quantum field theory. We implement direct subtraction of counterterms computed precisely in…
In quantum field theory, coherent states can be created that have negative energy density, meaning it is below that of empty space, the free quantum vacuum. If no restrictions existed regarding the concentration and permanence of negative…
Quantum inequalities are bounds on negative time-averages of the energy density of a quantum field. They can be used to rule out exotic spacetimes in general relativity. We study quantum inequalities for a scalar field with a background…
Vacuum field fluctuations exert a radiation pressure which induces mechanical effects on scatterers. The question naturally arises whether the energy of vacuum fluctuations gives rise to inertia and gravitation in agreement with the general…
In this letter we address some of the issues raised in the literature about the conflict between a large vacuum energy density, apriori predicted by quantum field theory, and the observed dark energy which must be the energy of vacuum or…
This report offers a modern perspective on the problem of negative energy, based on a re-examination of the concept of time direction as it arises in a classical and quantum-mechanical context. From this analysis emerges an improved…
In quantum field theory there is now a well developed technique, effective field theory, which allows one to obtain low energy quantum predictions in ``non-renormalizable'' theories, using only the degrees of freedom and interactions…
A relativistic quantum field theory is presented for finite density problems based on the principle of locality. It is found that, in addition to the conventional ones, a local approach to the relativistic quantum field theories at both…
Arguments are gived for the plausibility that quantum mechanics is a stochastic theory and that many quantum phenomena derive from the existence of a real noise consisting of vacuum fluctuations of all fundamental fields existing in nature.…
Some physical effects of time averaged quantum electric field fluctuations are discussed. The one loop radiative correction to potential scattering are approximately derived from simple arguments which invoke vacuum electric field…
The positive energy theorem precludes the possibility of Minkowski flat space decaying by any mechanism. In certain circumstances, however, large quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field could arise---not only at the Planck scale,…
The origin of the observed acceleration of the expansion of the universe is a major problem of modern cosmology and theoretical physics. Simple estimations of the contribution of vacuum to the density energy of the universe in quantum field…
We construct a particular class of quantum states for a massless, minimally coupled free scalar field which are of the form of a superposition of the vacuum and multi-mode two-particle states. These states can exhibit local negative energy…
The probability distributions for the smeared energy densities of quantum fields, in the two and four-dimensional Minkowski vacuum are discussed. These distributions share the property that there is a lower bound at a finite negative value,…
The sampled negative energy density seen by inertial observers, in arbitrary quantum states is limited by quantum inequalities, which take the form of an inverse relation between the magnitude and duration of the negative energy. The…
In this dissertation, the nature of Dark Energy (DE) is examined from both theoretical and phenomenological perspectives. The possibility of DE being a dynamic quantity in quantum field theory (QFT) in curved spacetime is studied. The…