1,720,979 research outputs found
Passivity and microlocal spectrum condition
No full textIn the setting of vector-valued quantum fields: obeying a linear wave-equation in a globally hyperbolic, stationary spacetime, it is shown that the two-point functions of passive quantum states (mixtures of ground- ol KMS-states) fulfill the microlocal spectrum condition (which ill the case of the canonically quantized scalar field is equivalent to saying that the two-pnt function is of Hadamard form). The fields can be of bosonic or fermionic character. We also give an abstract version of this result by showing that passive states of a topological -dynamical system have an asymptotic pair correlation spectrum of a specific type
The averaged null energy condition for general quantum field theories in two dimensions
No full textIt is shown that in any local quantum field theory in two-dimensional Minkowski space-time possessing a mass gap and an energy-momentum tensor, the averaged null energy condition is fulfilled for the set of those vector states which correspond to energetically strongly damped, local excitations of the vacuum. This set of physical vector states is translation invariant and dense. The energy-momentum tensor of the theory is assumed to be a Wightman field which is local relative to the observables, generates locally the translations, is divergence-free, and energetically bounded. Thus the averaged null energy condition can be deduced from completely generic, standard assumptions for general quantum field theory in two-dimensional flat space-time. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0022-2488(00)00701-5]
A Spin-Statistics Theorem for Quantum Fields on Curved Spacetime Manifolds in a Generally Covariant Framework
No full textA model-independent, locally generally covariant formulation of quantum field theory over four-dimensional, globally hyperbolic spacetimes will be given which generalizes similar, previous approaches. Here, a generally covariant quantum field theory is an assignment of quantum fields to globally hyperbolic spacetimes with spin-structure where each quantum field propagates on the spacetime to which it is assigned. Imposing very natural conditions such as local general covariance, existence of a causal dynamical law, fixed spinor- or tensor type for all quantum fields of the theory, and that the quantum field on Minkowski spacetime satisfies the Usual conditions, it will be shown that a spin-statistics theorem holds: If for some of the spacetimes the corresponding quantum field obeys the "wrong" connection between spin and statistics, then all quantum fields of the theory, on each spacetime, are trivial
Stability of quantum systems at three scales: passivity, quantum weak energy inequalities and the microlocal spectrum condition
No full textQuantum weak energy inequalities have recently been extensively discussed as a condition on the dynamical stability of quantum field states, particularly on curved spacetimes. We formulate the notion of a quantum weak energy inequality for general dynamical systems on static background spacetimes and establish a connection between quantum weak energy inequalities and thermodynamics. Namely, for such a dynamical system, we show that the existence of a class of states satisfying a quantum weak inequality implies that passive states (e.g., mixtures of ground- and thermal equilibrium states) exist for the time-evolution of the system and, therefore, that the second law of thermodynamics holds. As a model system, we consider the free scalar quantum field on a static spacetime. Although the Weyl algebra does not satisfy our general assumptions, our abstract results do apply to a related algebra which we construct, following a general method which we carefully describe, in Hilbert-space representations induced by quasifree Hadamard states. We discuss the problem of reconstructing states on the Weyl algebra from states on the new algebra and give conditions under which this may be accomplished. Previous results for linear quantum fields show that, on one hand, quantum weak energy inequalities follow from the Hadamard condition (or microlocal spectrum condition) imposed on the states, and on the other hand, that the existence of passive states implies that there is a class of states fulfilling the microlocal spectrum condition. Thus, the results of this paper indicate that these three conditions of dynamical stability are essentially equivalent. This observation is significant because the three conditions become effective at different length scales: The microlocal spectrum condition constrains the short-distance behaviour of quantum states (microscopic stability), quantum weak energy inequalities impose conditions at finite distance (mesoscopic stability), and the existence of passive states is a statement on the global thermodynamic stability of the system (macroscopic stability)
The generally covariant locality principle - A new paradigm for local quantum field theory
No full textA new approach to the model-independent description of quantum field theories will be introduced in the present work. The main feature of this new approach is to incorporate in a local sense the principle of general covariance of general relativity, thus giving rise to the concept of a locally covariant quantum field theory. Such locally covariant quantum field theories will be described mathematically in terms of covariant functors between the categories, on one side, of globally hyperbolic spacetimes with isometric embeddings as morphisms and, on the other side, of -algebras with unital injective -monomorphisms as morphisms. Moreover, locally covariant quantum fields can be described in this framework as natural transformations between certain functors. The usual Haag-Kastler framework of nets of operator-algebras over a fixed spacetime background-manifold, together with covariant automorphic actions of the isometry-group of the background spacetime, can be re-gained from this new approach as a special case. Examples of this new approach are also outlined. In case that a locally covariant quantum field theory obeys the time-slice axiom, one can naturally associate to it certain automorphic actions, called "relative Cauchy-evolutions', which describe the dynamical reaction of the quantum field theory to a local change of spacetime background metrics. The functional derivative of a relative Cauchy-evolution with respect to the spacetime metric is found to be a divergence-free quantity which has, as will be demonstrated in an example, the significance of an energy-momentum tensor (up to addition of scalar functions) for the locally covariant quantum field theory. Furthermore, we discuss the functorial properties of state spaces of locally covariant quantum field theories that entail the validity of the principle of local definiteness
A quantum weak energy inequality for Dirac fields in curved spacetime
No full textQuantum fields are well known to violate the weak energy condition of general relativity: the renormalised energy density at any given point is unbounded from below as a function of the quantum state. By contrast, for the scalar and electromagnetic fields it has been shown that weighted averages of the energy density along timelike curves satisfy “quantum weak energy inequalities” (QWEIs) which constitute lower bounds on these quantities. Previously, Dirac QWEIs have been obtained only for massless fields in two-dimensional spacetimes. In this paper we establish QWEIs for the Dirac and Majorana fields of mass m≥ 0 on general four-dimensional globally hyperbolic spacetimes, averaging along arbitrary smooth timelike curves with respect to any of a large class of smooth compactly supported positive weights. Our proof makes essential use of the microlocal characterisation of the class of Hadamard states, for which the energy density may be defined by point-splitting
Temperature and entropy-area relation of quantum matter near spherically symmetric outer trapping horizons
No full textWe consider spherically symmetric spacetimes with an outer trapping horizon. Such spacetimes are generalizations of spherically symmetric black hole spacetimes where the central mass can vary with time, like in black hole collapse or black hole evaporation. While these spacetimes possess in general no timelike Killing vector field, they admit a Kodama vector field which in some ways provides a replacement. The Kodama vector field allows the definition of a surface gravity of the outer trapping horizon. Spherically symmetric spacelike cross sections of the outer trapping horizon define in- and outgoing lightlike congruences. We investigate a scaling limit of Hadamard 2-point functions of a quantum field on the spacetime onto the ingoing lightlike congruence. The scaling limit 2-point function has a universal form and a thermal spectrum with respect to the time parameter of the Kodama flow, where the inverse temperature β= 2 π/ κ is related to the surface gravity κ of the horizon cross section in the same way as in the Hawking effect for an asymptotically static black hole. Similarly, the tunnelling probability that can be obtained in the scaling limit between in- and outgoing Fourier modes with respect to the time parameter of the Kodama flow shows a thermal distribution with the same inverse temperature, determined by the surface gravity. This can be seen as a local counterpart of the Hawking effect for a dynamical horizon in the scaling limit. Moreover, the scaling limit 2-point function allows it to define a scaling limit theory, a quantum field theory on the ingoing lightlike congruence emanating from a horizon cross section. The scaling limit 2-point function as well as the 2-point functions of coherent states of the scaling limit theory is correlation-free with respect to separation along the horizon cross section; therefore, their relative entropies behave proportional to the cross-sectional area. We thus obtain a proportionality of the relative entropy of coherent states of the scaling limit theory and the area of the horizon cross section with respect to which the scaling limit is defined. Thereby, we establish a local counterpart, and microscopic interpretation in the setting of quantum field theory on curved spacetimes, of the dynamical laws of outer trapping horizons, derived by Hayward and others in generalizing the laws of black hole dynamics originally shown for stationary black holes by Bardeen, Carter and Hawking
Relative Entropy of Fermion Excitation States on the CAR Algebra
No full textThe relative entropy of certain states on the algebra of canonical anticommutation relations (CAR) is studied in the present work. The CAR algebra is used to describe fermionic degrees of freedom in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. The states for which the relative entropy is investigated are multi-excitation states (similar to multi-particle states) with respect to KMS states defined with respect to a time-evolution induced by a unitary dynamical group on the one-particle Hilbert space of the CAR algebra. If the KMS state is quasifree, the relative entropy of multi-excitation states can be explicitly calculated in terms of 2-point functions, which are defined entirely by the one-particle Hilbert space defining the CAR algebra and the Hamilton operator of the dynamical group on the one-particle Hilbert space. This applies also in the case that the one-particle Hilbert space Hamilton operator has a continuous spectrum so that the relative entropy of multi-excitation states cannot be defined in terms of von Neumann entropies. The results obtained here for the relative entropy of multi-excitation states on the CAR algebra can be viewed as counterparts of results for the relative entropy of coherent states on the algebra of canonical commutation relations which have appeared recently. It turns out to be useful to employ the setting of a self-dual CAR algebra introduced by Araki
Local incompatibility of the microlocal spectrum condition with the KMS property along spacelike directions in quantum field theory on curved spacetime
No full textStates of a generic quantum field theory on a curved spacetime are considered which satisfy the KMS condition with respect to an evolution associated with a complete (Killing) vector field. It is shown that at any point where the vector field is spacelike, such states cannot satisfy a certain microlocal condition which is weaker than the microlocal spectrum condition in the case of asymptotically free fields
Microlocal spectrum condition and Hadamard form for vector-valued quantum fields in curved spacetime
Full text linkThe characterization of Hadamard states in terms of a specific form of the wavefront set of their two-point functions has been developed some years ago by Radzikowski for scalar fields on a four-dimensional globally hyperbolic spacetime, and initiated a major progress in the understanding of Hadamard states and the further development of quantum field theory in curved spacetime. In the present work, the characterization of Hadamard states through a particular form of the wavefront set of their two-point functions will be generalized from scalar fields to vector fields (sections in a vector bundle) which are subject to a wave-equation and are quantized so as to fulfill the covariant canonical commutation relations, or which obey a Dirac equation and are quantized according to the covariant anti-commutation relations, in any globally hyperbolic spacetime having dimension three or higher. In proving this result, a gap which is present in the published proof for the scalar field case will be removed. Moreover we determine the short-distance scaling limits of Hadamard states for vector-bundle valued fields, finding them to coincide with the corresponding flat-space, massless vacuum states
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