Related papers: `Operational' Energy Conditions
We study statistical properties of states of massive quantized charged Dirac and Klein-Gordon fields interacting with a background that violates the vacuum stability, first in general terms and then for a special electromagnetic background.…
In order to be traversable, the static Lorentzian wormhole must be made out of some exotic matter that violates the weak energy condition. The quantized fields are the natural candidates as their stress-energy tensor, in many cases,…
Hawking's singularity theorem concerns matter obeying the strong energy condition (SEC), which means that all observers experience a non-negative effective energy density (EED). The SEC ensures the timelike convergence property. However,…
Gott spacetime has closed timelike curves, but no locally anomalous stress-energy. A complete orthonormal set of eigenfunctions of the wave operator is found in the special case of a spacetime in which the total deficit angle is $2\pi$. A…
In spite of its problems with interactions, the first-quantized Klein-Gordon equation is a satisfactory theory of free spinless particles. Moreover, the usual theory may be extended to describe Lorentz-violating behavior, of the same types…
To make sense of quantum field theory in an arbitrary (globally hyperbolic) curved spacetime, the theory must be formulated in a local and covariant manner in terms of locally measureable field observables. Since a generic curved spacetime…
We show explicitly, for different types of extremal black holes, that test fields satisfying the null energy condition at the event horizon cannot violate the weak cosmic censorship conjecture. This is done by checking, in each case, that…
The problem of an enormously large energy density of the quantum vacuum is discussed in connection with the concept of renormalization of physical parameters in quantum field theory. Using the method of dimensional regularization, it is…
The partial trace operation is usually considered in composite quantum systems, to reduce the state on a single subsystem. This operation has a key role in the decoherence effect and quantum measurements. However, partial trace operations…
A significant observational effort has been directed to unveil the nature of the so-called dark energy. However, given the large number of theoretical possibilities, it is possible that such a task cannot be performed on the basis only of…
In general relativity, the energy conditions are invoked to restrict general energy-momentum tensors $T_{\mu\nu}$ in different frameworks, and to derive general results that hold in a variety of general contexts on physical grounds. We show…
We solve the Klein-Gordon equation for a scalar field, in the background geometry of a dust cloud collapsing to form a black hole, everywhere in the (1+1) spacetime: that is, both inside and outside the event horizon and arbitrarily close…
In scalar-tensor theories of gravity, the equation of state of dark energy, w, can become smaller than -1 without violating any energy condition. The value of w today is tied to the level of deviations from general relativity which, in…
Properties of particles in Kerr metric are compared with properties of particles in rotating coordinates in Minkowski space-time. It is shown that particles with negative and zero energies existing in the ergosphere of the rotating black…
Recently proposed 2D anomaly induced effective actions for the matter-gravity system are critically reviewed. Their failure to correctly reproduce Hawking's black hole radiation or the stability of Minkowski space-time led us to a…
We study the response of switched particle detectors to static negative energy densities and negative energy fluxes. It is demonstrated how the switching leads to excitation even in the vacuum and how negative energy can lead to a…
In thermal quantum field theory, the global Liouvillian (the generator of time translations) is passive. How is this reflected in the properties of its local density, a quantum field? We propose that the locally averaged density is bounded…
Weak cosmic censorship conjecture (WCCC) is a basic principle that guarantees the predictability of spacetime and should be valid in any classical theories. One critical scientific question is whether the WCCC can serve as a constraint to…
Linearized gravitational waves in Brans-Dicke and scalar-tensor theories carry negative energy. A gauge-invariant analysis shows that the background Minkowski space is stable at the classical level with respect to linear scalar and tensor…
Quantum Energy Inequalities (QEIs) are results which limit the extent to which the smeared renormalised energy density of the quantum field can be negative, when averaged along a timelike curve or over a more general timelike submanifold in…