相关论文: The dipolar zero-modes of Einstein action: An info…
We study a novel set of gravitational field configurations, called "dipolar zero modes", which give an exactly null contribution to the Einstein action and are thus candidates to become large fluctuations in the quantized theory. They are…
The functional integral of pure Einstein 4D quantum gravity admits abnormally large and long-lasting "dipolar fluctuations", generated by virtual sources with the property Int d^4x Sqrt{g(x)} Tr T(x) = 0. These fluctuations would exist also…
Quantum fields possess zero-point or vacuum fluctuations which induce mechanical effects, namely generalised Casimir forces, on any scatterer. Symmetries of vacuum therefore raise fundamental questions when confronted with the principle of…
In this work we review some concepts developed over the last few years: that the gravitational vacuum has, even at scales much larger than the Planck length, a peculiar structure, with anomalously strong and long-lasting fluctuations called…
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,…
We investigate the problem of metric fluctuations in the presence of the vacuum fluctuations of matter fields and critically assess the usual assertion that vacuum energy implies a Planckian cosmological constant. A new stochastic classical…
There are five well-known zero modes among the fluctuations of the metric of de~Sitter (dS) spacetime. For Euclidean signature, they can be associated with certain spherical harmonics on the $S^4$ sphere, viz., the vector representation…
It is known that the action of Euclidean Einstein gravity is not bounded from below and that the metric of flat space does not correspond to a minimum of the action. Nevertheless, perturbation theory about flat space works well. The deep…
We re-examine the classic problem of the renormalization of zero-point quantum fluctuations in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker background. We discuss a number of issues that arise when regularizing the theory with a momentum-space cutoff, and…
Quantum fluctuations in the QED vacuum generate non-linear effects, such as peculiar induced electromagnetic fields. In particular, we show here that an electrically neutral particle, possessing a magnetic dipole moment, develops an induced…
Radiation from a mirror moving in vacuum electromagnetic fields is shown to vanish in the case of a uniformly accelerated motion. Such motions are related to conformal coordinate transformations, which preserve correlation functions…
We discuss the gravitational Higgs mechanism in domain wall background solutions that arise in the theory of 5-dimensional Einstein-Hilbert gravity coupled to a scalar field with a non-trivial potential. The scalar fluctuations in such…
We discuss some effects induced by quantum field fluctuations on mass, inertia and gravitation. Recalling the problem raised by vacuum field fluctuations with respect to inertia and gravitation, we show that vacuum energy differences, such…
We examine vacuum fluctuations in theories with modified dispersion relations which represent dimensional reduction at high energies. By changing units of energy and momentum we can obtain a description rendering the dispersion relations…
We examine the gravitational properties of Lamb shift energies. Using available experimental data we show that these energies have a standard gravitational behavior at the level of $\sim 10^{-5}$. We are motivated by the point of view that…
Regarding metric fluctuations as generating {\it roughness} on the fabric of the otherwise smooth vacuum, it is shown that in its simplest form, the effect can be described by the scalar $\phi^4$ model. The model exhibits a second order…
Quantum gravitational effects in loop quantum cosmology lead to a resolution of the initial singularity and have the potential to solve the horizon problem and generate a quasi scale-invariant spectrum of density fluctuations. We consider…
The cosmological constant is not an absolute constant. The gravitating part of the vacuum energy is adjusted to the energy density of matter and to other types of the perturbations of the vacuum. We discuss how the vacuum energy responds…
We consider fluctuations in a perfect irrotational fluid coupled to gravity in an Einstein static universe background. We show that the homogeneous linear perturbations of the scalar and metric fluctuations in the Einstein static universe…
We discuss a simple Casimir-type device for which the rotational energy reaches its global minimum when the device rotates about a certain axis rather than remains static. This unusual property is a direct consequence of the fact that the…