English
Related papers

Related papers: Semi-local Bounds on Null Energy in QFT

200 papers

The averaged null energy conditions (ANEC) states that, along a complete null curve, the negative energy fluctuations of a quantum field must be balanced by positive energy fluctuations. We use the AdS/CFT correspondence to prove the ANEC…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2015-02-24 William R. Kelly , Aron C. Wall

Smeared null energy has been shown to be bounded from below for free minimally coupled quantum field theories. This is not the case for conformally coupled free bosonic theories where states of unbounded null energy can be constructed by…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2024-12-17 Jackson R. Fliss , Ben Freivogel , Eleni-Alexandra Kontou , Diego Pardo Santos

We propose a new bound on the average null energy along a finite portion of a null geodesic. We believe our bound is valid on scales small compared to the radius of curvature in any quantum field theory that is consistently coupled to…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2021-04-20 Ben Freivogel , Dimitrios Krommydas

The restricted quantum focusing conjecture (rQFC) plays a central role in an axiomatic formulation of semiclassical gravity. Since much hinges on its validity, it is imperative to subject the rQFC to rigorous tests in novel settings. Here…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2025-10-28 Victor Franken , Sami Kaya , François Rondeau , Arvin Shahbazi-Moghaddam , Patrick Tran

The quantum null energy condition (QNEC) is a conjectured relation between a null version of quantum field theory energy and derivatives of quantum field theory von Neumann entropy. In some cases, divergences cancel between these two terms…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2018-02-21 Zicao Fu , Donald Marolf

The classic singularity theorems of General Relativity rely on energy conditions that can be violated in semiclassical gravity. Here, we provide motivation for an energy condition obeyed by semiclassical gravity: the smeared null energy…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2022-07-20 Ben Freivogel , Eleni-Alexandra Kontou , Dimitrios Krommydas

The quantum null energy condition (QNEC) is the only known consistent local energy condition in quantum theories. Contrary to the classical energy condition which are known to be violated in QFT, QNEC is a consequence of the quantum…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2020-09-16 Philipp Stanzer

Energy conditions are attempts to summarise the properties of realistic descriptions of matter via constraints on the energy-momentum tensor. This is, for example, useful when one wants to understand the types of spacetime geometry that can…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2024-11-19 Hidde Stoffels

We establish a connection between the averaged null energy condition (ANEC) and the monotonicity of the renormalization group, by studying the light-ray operator $\int du T_{uu}$ in quantum field theories that flow between two conformal…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2023-09-27 Thomas Hartman , Grégoire Mathys

By rearranging its terms, the Quantum Focusing Conjecture (QFC) can be viewed as a quantum energy condition, and we can consider various limits. A recent restricted version is a limiting form where the quantum focusing vanishes $\Theta…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2023-10-24 Ido Ben-Dayan

We study the consequences of Entanglement Wedge Nesting for CFTs with holographic duals. The CFT is formulated on an arbitrary curved background, and we include the effects of curvature-squared couplings in the bulk. In this setup we find…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2020-01-29 Chris Akers , Venkatesa Chandrasekaran , Stefan Leichenauer , Adam Levine , Arvin Shahbazi Moghaddam

The Improved Quantum Null Energy Condition (INEC) was recently derived from the (restricted) quantum focusing conjecture (QFC), and is a statement about the energy-momentum tensor (EMT) of field theories in Minkowski space-time. It is a…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2026-01-28 Ido Ben-Dayan , Ayushi Srivastava

We explore consequences of the Averaged Null Energy Condition (ANEC) for scaling dimensions $\Delta$ of operators in four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ superconformal field theories. We show that in many cases the ANEC bounds are stronger…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2020-02-19 Andrea Manenti , Andreas Stergiou , Alessandro Vichi

The Averaged Null Energy Condition (ANEC) states that the integral along a complete null geodesic of the projection of the stress-energy tensor onto the tangent vector to the geodesic cannot be negative. ANEC can be used to rule out…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2015-07-23 Eleni-Alexandra Kontou

We study the compatibility of the AdS/CFT duality with the bulk and boundary causality, and derive a conformally invariant averaged null energy condition (CANEC) for quantum field theories in 3 and 5-dimensional curved boundaries. This is…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2020-04-22 Norihiro Iizuka , Akihiro Ishibashi , Kengo Maeda

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 Physics · Physics 2026-04-01 G. Jordan Maclay , Eric W. Davis

A null line is a complete achronal null geodesic. It is proven that for any quantum fields minimally coupled to semiclassical Einstein gravity, the averaged null energy condition (ANEC) on null lines is a consequence of the generalized…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2010-04-06 Aron C. Wall

We give a simplified proof of the quantum null energy condition (QNEC). Our proof is based on an explicit formula for the shape derivative of the relative entropy, with respect to an entangling cut. It allows bypassing the analytic…

High Energy Physics - Theory · Physics 2025-10-06 Stefan Hollands , Roberto Longo

The Averaged Null Energy Condition (ANEC) states that the integral along a complete null geodesic of the projection of the stress-energy tensor onto the tangent vector to the geodesic cannot be negative. Exotic spacetimes, such as those…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2013-03-14 Eleni-Alexandra Kontou , Ken D. Olum

The averaged null energy condition has been recently shown to hold for linear quantum fields in a large class of spacetimes. Nevertheless, it is easy to show by using a simple scaling argument that ANEC as stated cannot hold generically in…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2009-12-30 Ulvi Yurtsever