Related papers: The Quantum Interest Conjecture
Building on the "quantum inequalities" introduced by Ford, I argue that the negative local energies encountered in quantum field theory can only be observed by detectors with positive energies at least as great in magnitude. This means that…
A quantum inequality for the quantized electromagnetic field is developed for observers in static curved spacetimes. The quantum inequality derived is a generalized expression given by a mode function expansion of the four-vector potential,…
In a recent paper [J. Math. Phys. 47 082303 (2006)], Quantum Energy Inequalities were used to place simple geometrical bounds on the energy densities of quantum fields in Minkowskian spacetime regions. Here, we refine this analysis for…
In classical physics the energy density of a field is always positive. However this does not hold true for quantum physics where the energy density of a field can be locally negative. There are limits on the weighted average of this…
The existence of irreducible field fluctuations in vacuum is an important prediction of quantum theory. These fluctuations have many observable consequences, like the Casimir effect which is now measured with good accuracy and agreement…
In this paper the quantum vacuum energies induced by massive fluctuations of one real scalar field on a configuration of two partially transparent plates are analysed. The physical properties of the infinitely thin plates are characterized…
Subvacuum effects arise in quantum field theory when a classically positive quantity, such as the local energy density, acquires a negative renormalized expectation value. Here we investigate the case of states of the quantized…
We discuss quantum inequalities for minimally coupled scalar fields in static spacetimes. These are inequalities which place limits on the magnitude and duration of negative energy densities. We derive a general expression for the quantum…
The gravitational effect of vacuum polarization in space exterior to a particle in (2+1)-dimensional Einstein theory is investigated. In the weak field limit this gravitational field corresponds to an inverse square law of gravitational…
Quantum inequality restrictions on the stress-energy tensor for negative energy are developed for three and four-dimensional static spacetimes. We derive a general inequality in terms of a sum of mode functions which constrains the…
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,…
For quantum mechanical anharmonic oscillator-type Hamiltonians, it is shown that there is a relation between the energy eigenvalues of parity symmetric and PT-symmetric phases for weak coupling. The possibility of such a relation was…
The focusing theorem fails for evaporating black holes because the null energy condition is violated by quantum effects. The quantum focusing conjecture is proposed so that it is satisfied even if the null energy condition is violated. The…
The classical Penrose inequality specifies a lower bound on the total mass in terms of the area of certain trapped surfaces. This fails at the semiclassical level. We conjecture a Quantum Penrose Inequality: the mass at spatial infinity is…
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…
In previous work it has been shown that the electromagnetic quantum vacuum, or electromagnetic zero-point field, makes a contribution to the inertial reaction force on an accelerated object. We show that the result for inertial mass can be…
It has been widely believed that, except in very extreme situations, the influence of gravity on quantum fields should amount to just small, sub-dominant contributions. This view seemed to be endorsed by the seminal results obtained over…
The canonical commutation relations of quantum field theory require all pairs of observables located in spacelike-separated regions to commute. In the theory as it is currently constituted, this implies that the information-carrying…
Quantum energy inequalities (QEIs) express restrictions on the extent to which weighted averages of the renormalized energy density can take negative expectation values within a quantum field theory. Here we derive, for the first time, QEIs…
We generalise results of Ford and Roman which place lower bounds -- known as quantum inequalities -- on the renormalised energy density of a quantum field averaged against a choice of sampling function. Ford and Roman derived their results…