Related papers: Wave correlations and quantum noise in cosmology
The expectation that it should not be possible to gain experimental insight on the structure of space-time at Planckian distance scales has been recently challenged by several studies. With respect to space-time fluctuations, one of the…
The cosmological constant problem arises because the magnitude of vacuum energy density predicted by quantum mechanics is about 120 orders of magnitude larger than the value implied by cosmological observations of accelerating cosmic…
The gravitational-wave detector is a complex and sensitive collection of advanced instruments that are impacted not only by mechanical/electronics systems but also by the surrounding environment. Hence, it is of great importance to classify…
On the analogy of the Casimir effect, we present an effect of quantum-field fluctuations, attributed to gravitational field coupling to the zero-point energy of virtual particles in the vacuum. In the process of black hole's formation, such…
Two thin conducting, electrically neutral, parallel plates forming an isolated system in vacuum exert attracting force on each other, whose origin is the quantum electrodynamical interaction. This theoretical hypothesis, known as Casimir…
Appearance of cosmic strings in the early Universe is a common manifestation of new physics typically linked to some high energy scale. In this paper, we discuss a different situation, where a model underlying cosmic string formation is…
We calculate the full spectrum, as observed today, of the cosmological gravitational waves generated within a model based on loop quantum cosmology. It is assumed that the universe, after the transition to the classical regime, undergoes a…
This pedagogical review aims at presenting the fundamental aspects of the theory of inflationary cosmological perturbations of quantum-mechanical origin. The analogy with the well-known Schwinger effect is discussed in detail and a…
Fluctuations play a central role in many fields of physics, from quantum electrodynamics to statistical mechanics. In active matter physics, most models focus on thermal fluctuations due to a surrounding solvent. An alternative but much…
Experimental tests for assessing the physical reality of the hypothetical wave modes of quantum vacuum with zero-point energy are of fundamental importance for quantum field theories and cosmology. Physical effects like the Casimir effect…
We analyze the quantum fluctuations of vacuum stress tensors and spacetime curvatures, using the framework of linear response theory which connects these fluctuations to dissipation mechanisms arising when stress tensors and spacetime…
We present a theory of finite-frequency noise in non-equilibrium conductors. It is shown that Non-Markovian correlations are essential to describe the physics of quantum noise. In particular, we show the importance of a correct treatment of…
In discussions of the cosmological constant, the Casimir effect is often invoked as decisive evidence that the zero point energies of quantum fields are "real''. On the contrary, Casimir effects can be formulated and Casimir forces can be…
The theory of cosmological fluctuations assumes that the pre-inflationary state of the universe was the quantum vacuum of a scalar field(s) coupled to gravity. The observed cosmic microwave background fluctuations are then interpreted as…
Random noise arises in many physical problems in which the observer is not tracking the full system. A case in point is inflationary cosmology, the current paradigm for describing the very early universe, where one is often interested only…
A sort of gravitational waveguide effect in cosmology could explain, in principle, the huge luminosities coming from quasars using the cosmological large scale structures as selfoc--type or planar waveguides. Furthermore, other anomalous…
The Casimir effect, a key observable realization of vacuum fluctuations, is usually taught in graduate courses on quantum field theory. The growing importance of Casimir forces in microelectromechanical systems motivates this subject as a…
The static Casimir effect describes an attractive force between two conducting plates, due to quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic (EM) field in the intervening space. {\it Thermal fluctuations} of correlated fluids (such as critical…
We show that oscillations of a homogeneous medium with constant material coefficients produce pairs of photons. Classical analysis of an oscillating medium reveals regions of parametric resonance where the electromagnetic waves are…
During the long course of evolution, nature has learnt how to exploit quantum effects. In fact, recent experiments reveal the existence of quantum processes whose coherence extends over unexpectedly long time and space ranges. In…