It is shown that the commonly accepted definition for the Casimir scalar operators of the Poincare group does not satisfy the properties of Casimir invariance when applied to the non-inertial motion of elementary particles while in the presence of external gravitational and electromagnetic fields, where general curvilinear co-ordinates are used to describe the momentum generators within a Fermi normal co-ordinate framework. Specific expressions of the Casimir scalar properties are presented for spin-1/2 to spin-2 particles inclusive. While the Casimir scalar for linear momentum remains a Lorentz invariant in the absence of external fields, this is no longer true for the spin Casimir scalar. Potential implications are considered for the propagation of photons, gravitons, and gravitinos as described by the spin-3/2 Rarita-Schwinger vector-spinor field. In particular, it is shown that non-inertial motion introduces a frame-based effective mass to the spin interaction, with interesting physical consequences that are explored in detail.
We consider the quantum correction to the Lagrangean by the massless free boson in the curved background in three dimensions where one of the coordinates is periodic. The correction term is given by an expansion of the metric with respect to the derivative and the first term expresses to the usual Casimir energy. As an application, we investigate the change of the geometry in three dimensional black hole due to the quantum effect and we show that the geometry becomes like that of the Reissner-Nordstrøm solution.
Vacuum expectation values of the energy-momentum tensor and the Casimir forces are evaluated for scalar and electromagnetic fields in the geometry of two curved boundaries on background of the Robertson-Walker spacetime with negative spatial curvature. Robin boundary conditions are imposed in the case of the scalar field and perfect conductor boundary conditions are assumed for the electromagnetic field. We use the conformal relation between the Robertson-Walker and Rindler spacetimes and the corresponding results for two parallel plates moving with uniform proper acceleration through the Full…
The free energy due to the vacuum fluctuations of matter fields on a classical gravitational background is discussed. It is shown explicitly how this energy is calculated for a non-minimally coupled scalar field in an arbitrary gravitational background, using the heat kernel method. The treatment of (self-)interacting fields of higher spin is outlined, using a meanfield approximation to the gaugefield when treating the gauge boson self interaction and the fermion-gauge boson interaction.
In this paper we study the Casimir force for a piston configuration in $R^3$ with one dimension being slightly curved and the other two infinite. We work for two different cases with this setup. In the first, the piston is "free to move" along a transverse dimension to the curved one and in the other case the piston "moves" along the curved one. We find that the Casimir force has opposite signs in the two cases. We also use a semi-analytic method to study the Casimir energy and force. In addition we discuss some topics for the aforementioned piston configuration in $R^3$ and for possible modif…
We compute Casimir interaction energies for the sphere-plate and cylinder-plate configuration induced by scalar-field fluctuations with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Based on a high-precision calculation using worldline numerics, we quantitatively determine the validity bounds of the proximity force approximation (PFA) on which the comparison between all corresponding experiments and theory are based. We observe the quantitative failure of the PFA on the 1% level for a curvature parameter a/R > 0.00755. Even qualitatively, the PFA fails to predict reliably the correct sign of genuine Casimir …
This paper explores the properties of the Pauli-Lubanski spin vector for the general motion of spin-1/2 particles in curved space-time. Building upon previously determined results in flat space-time, it is shown that the associated Casimir scalar for spin possesses both gravitational contributions and frame-dependent contributions due to non-inertial motion, where the latter represents a possible quantum violation of Lorentz invariance that becomes significant at the Compton wavelength scale. When applied to muon decay near the event horizon of a microscopic Kerr black hole, it is shown that i…
We study $d$-dimensional Conformal Field Theories (CFTs) on the cylinder, $S^{d-1}\times \mathbb{R}$, and its deformations. In $d=2$ the Casimir energy (i.e. the vacuum energy) is universal and is related to the central charge $c$. In $d=4$ the vacuum energy depends on the regularization scheme and has no intrinsic value. We show that this property extends to infinitesimally deformed cylinders and support this conclusion with a holographic check. However, for $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric CFTs, a natural analog of the Casimir energy turns out to be scheme independent and thus intrinsic. We gi…
This paper deals with quantum field theory in curved space-time using the Thermo Field Dynamics. The scalar field is coupled to the Schwarzschild space time and then thermalised. The Stefan-Boltzmann law is established at finite temperature and the entropy of the field is calculated. Then the Casimir energy and pressure are obtained at zero and finite temperature.
Influence of gravity on the quantum vacuum of a massless minimally coupled scalar field under Robin boundary conditions on parallel plates is investigated. We introduce the detailed calculation of the volume energy for the case the gravitational background is weak in its most general form for a static spacetime. It founds that the quantum vacuum usually reacts to the gravitational field by decreasing the Casimir energy. In addition, we find sufficient conditions under which the Casimir force increases. Interestingly, the first order perturbation corrections, are present in the obtained formula…
The Casimir effect has been studied for various quantum fields in both flat and curved spacetimes. As a further step along this line, we provide an explicit derivation of Casimir effect for massless spin-3/2 field with periodic boundary condition imposed in four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. The corresponding results with Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions are also discussed.
Renormalization group equations for massless GUT's in curved space-time with non-trivial topology are formulated. The asymptotics of the effective action both at high and low energies are obtained. It is shown that the Casimir energy contribution at high curvature (early Universe) becomes non-essential in the effective action.
Nonlinear terms in the equations of motion can induce secularly growing loop corrections to correlation functions. Recently such corrections were shown to affect the particle production by a nonuniformly moving ideal mirror. We extend this conclusion to the cases of ideal vibrating cavity and single semitransparent mirror. These models provide natural IR and UV scales and allow a more accurate study of the loop behavior. In both cases we confirm that two-loop correction to the Keldysh propagator quadratically grows with time. This growth indicates a breakdown of the semiclassical approximation…
The evaluation of Casimir energies in curved background spacetimes is an essential ingredient to study the stability of traversable wormholes. In practice one has to calculate the contribution of the transverse-traceless component of the metric perturbation on a curved spacetime background. This implies the study of an eigenvalue equation involving a modified form of the Lichnerowicz operator. For arbitrary background spacetimes, however, such an operator does not display transverse-traceless properties, a fact that impedes the determination of the eigenvalues. Against this background, we show…
We discuss Stueckelberg massive electromagnetism on an arbitrary four-dimensional curved spacetime (gauge invariance of the classical theory and covariant quantization, wave equations for the massive spin-1 field $A_μ$, for the auxiliary Stueckelberg scalar field $Φ$ and for the ghost fields $C$ and $C^\ast$, Ward identities, Hadamard representation of the various Feynman propagators and covariant Taylor series expansions of the corresponding coefficients). This permits us to construct, for a Hadamard quantum state, the expectation value of the renormalized stress-energy tensor associated with…
In a recent paper [arXiv:0904.2904] using a conjecture it is shown how one can calculate the effect of a weak stationary gravitational field on vacuum energy in the context of Casimir effect in an external gravitational field treated in 1+3 formulation of spacetime decomposition.. In this article, employing quntum field theory in curved spacetime, we explicitly calculate the effect of a weak static gravitational field on virtual massless scalar particles in a Casimir apparatus. It is shown that, as expected from the proposed conjecture, both the frequency and renormalized energy of the virtual…
We consider a general class of asymptotically locally AdS_5 solutions of minimal gauged supergravity, that are dual to superconformal field theories on curved backgrounds S^1 x M_3 preserving two supercharges. We demonstrate that standard holographic renormalization corresponds to a scheme that breaks supersymmetry. We propose new boundary terms that restore supersymmetry, and show that for smooth solutions with topology S^1 x R^4 the improved on-shell action reproduces both the supersymmetric Casimir energy and the field theory BPS relation between charges.
The energy-momentum tensor for a massless conformally coupled scalar field in de Sitter spacetime in the presence of a couple curved branes is investigated. We assume that the scalar field satisfies the Robin boundary condition on the surfaces. Static de Sitter space is conformally related to the Rindler space, as a result we can obtain vacuum expectation values of energy-momentum tensor for conformally invariant field in static de Sitter space from the corresponding Rindler counterpart by the conformal transformation.
We investigate the Casimir effect, due to the confinement of a scalar field in a $D$-dimensional sphere, with Lorentz symmetry breaking. The Lorentz-violating part of the theory is described by the term $λ(u \cdot \partial ϕ) ^{2}$, where the parameter $λ$ and the background vector $u^μ$ codify the breakdown of Lorentz symmetry. We compute, as a function of $D$, the Casimir stress by using Green's function techniques for two specific choices of the vector $u ^μ$. In the timelike case, $u ^μ = (1,0,...,0)$, the Casimir stress can be factorized as the product of the Lorentz invariant result time…
These lectures deal with selected aspects of quantum field theory in curved spacetime including the following topics: (1) Quantization of fields on a curved background, particle creation by gravitational fields, particle creation in an expanding universe; moving mirror radiation. (2) The Hawking effect - particle creation by black holes. (3) Ultraviolet and infrared divergences, renormalization of the expectation value of the stress tensor; global symmetry breaking in curved spacetime. (4) Negative energy in quantum field theory, its gravitational effects, and inequalities which limit negative…
It is well known that boundary conditions on quantum fields produce divergences in the renormalized energy-momentum tensor near the boundaries. Although irrelevant for the computation of Casimir forces between different bodies, the self-energy couples to gravity, and the divergences may, in principle, generate large gravitational effects. We present an analysis of the problem in the context of quantum field theory in curved spaces. Our model consists of a quantum scalar field coupled to a classical field that, in a certain limit, imposes Dirichlet boundary conditions on the quantum field. We s…
Vacuum expectation values of the energy-momentum tensor for a conformally coupled scalar field is investigated in de Sitter (dS) spacetime in presence of a curved brane on which the field obeys the Robin boundary condition with coordinate dependent coefficients. To generate the corresponding vacuum densities we use the conformal relation between dS and Rindler spacetimes and the results previously obtained by one of the authors for the Rindler counterpart. The resulting energy-momentum tensor is non-diagonal and induces anisotropic vacuum stresses. The asymptotic behaviour of this tensor is in…
We calculate the Casimir interaction energy in $d=2$ spatial dimensions between two (zero-width) mirrors, one flat, and the other slightly curved, upon which {\em imperfect\/} conductor boundary conditions are imposed for an Electromagnetic (EM) field. Our main result is a second-order Derivative Expansion (DE) approximation for the Casimir energy, which is studied in different interesting limits. In particular, we focus on the emergence of a non-analyticity beyond the leading-order term in the DE, when approaching the limit of perfectly-conducting mirrors. We also show that the system conside…
In this manuscript, we will discuss the notion of curved momentum space, as it arises in the discussion of noncommutative or doubly special relativity theories. We will illustrate it with two simple examples, the Casimir effect in anti-Snyder space and the introduction of fermions in doubly special relativity. We will point out the existence of intriguing results, which suggest nontrivial connections with spectral geometry and Hopf algebras.
Casimir forces are a manifestation of the change in the zero-point energy of the vacuum caused by the insertion of boundaries. We show how the Casimir force can be efficiently computed by consideration of the vacuum fluctuations that are suppressed by the boundaries, and rederive the scalar Casimir effects for a series of the Dirichlet geometries. For the planar case a finite universal force is automatically found. Consistent with other calculations of the effect, for curved geometries divergent (non-universal) expressions are encountered. They are interpreted geometrically following Candelas …
\emph{Resonance Casimir-Polder interaction(RCPI)} occurs in nature when one or more atoms are in their excited states and the exchange of real photon is involved between them due to vacuum fluctuations of the quantum fields. In recent times, many attempts have been made to show that the curved spacetime such as the \emph{de-Sitter spacetime} can be separated from a \emph{thermal Minkowski spacetime} using \emph{RCPI}. Motivated from these ideas, here we study the \emph{RCPI} between two atoms that interact with a massive scalar field in Schwarzschild spacetime provided the atoms are placed in …
The discussion of vacuum energy is currently a subject of great theoretical importance, specially concerning the cosmological constant problem in General Relativity. From Quantum Field Theory, it is stated that vacuum states subject to boundary conditions may generate tensions on these boundaries related to a measurable non-zero renormalized vacuum energy: the Casimir Effect. As such, investigating how these vacuum states and energy behave in curved backgrounds is just natural and might provide important results in the near future. In this paper we revisit a model of the Casimir Effect in weak…
In 1+3 (threading) formulation of general relativity spacetime behaves analogous to a medium with a specific index of refraction with respect to the light propagation. Accepting the reality of zero point energy, through the equivalence principle, we elevate this analogy to the case of virtual photon propagation in a quantum vacuum in a curved background spacetime. Employing this new idea one could examine the response of vacuum energy to the presence of a stationary gravitational field in its different quantum field theoretic manifestations such as Casimir effect and Lamb shift. The results ar…
Systems described by $n$-component $ϕ^4$ models in a $\infty^{d-1}\times L$ slab geometry of finite thickness $L$ are considered at and above their bulk critical temperature $T_{c,\infty}$. The renormalization-group improved perturbation theory commonly employed to investigate the fluctuation-induced forces (``thermodynamic Casimir effect'') in $d=4-ε$ bulk dimensions is re-examined. It is found to be ill-defined beyond two-loop order because of infrared singularities when the boundary conditions are such that the free propagator in slab geometry involves a zero-energy mode at bulk criticality…
This work considers the way that quantum loop effects modify the propagation of light in curved space. The calculation of the refractive index for scalar QED is reviewed and then extended for the first time to QED with spinor particles in the loop. It is shown how, in both cases, the low frequency phase velocity can be greater than c, as found originally by Drummond and Hathrell, but causality is respected in the sense that retarded Green functions vanish outside the lightcone. A "phenomenology" of the refractive index is then presented for black holes, FRW universes and gravitational waves. I…
This is the second of three papers on Conformal General Relativity (CGR). The conformal group is introduced here as the invariance group of the partial order of causal events in $n$D spacetime. Its general structure, discrete symmetries and field representations are described in detail. The spontaneous breakdown of conformal symmetry is then discussed and the role played by a ghost scalar field and a physical scalar field in 4D spacetime are evidenced. Kinematic--, conformal-- and proper--time hyperbolic coordinates are introduced in a negatively curved Milne spacetime for the purpose of provi…
Quantum vacuum energy has been known to have observable consequences since 1948 when Casimir calculated the force of attraction between parallel uncharged plates, a phenomenon confirmed experimentally with ever increasing precision. Casimir himself suggested that a similar attractive self-stress existed for a conducting spherical shell, but Boyer obtained a repulsive stress. Other geometries and higher dimensions have been considered over the years. Local effects, and divergences associated with surfaces and edges have been investigated by several authors. Quite recently, Graham et al. have re…
Some of the well-known effects regarding the vacuum are revisited under the formalism of the imaginary-time field theory. From these effects, they could imply the existence of one thermal vacuum in different circumstances. The imaginary-time hamiltonian of the vacuum is found to provide not only exact distribution functions in the calculations of the Casimir effect and the Van der Waals force but also cutoff functions. The thermal bath for the Unruh effect is constructed from the imaginary-time Green function. From the field theory in the curved space-time, field quantizations are defined acco…
Much attention has been recently devoted to the possibility that quantum gravity effects could lead to departures from Special Relativity in the form of a deformed Poincarè algebra. These proposals go generically under the name of Doubly or Deformed Special Relativity (DSR). In this article we further explore a recently proposed class of quantum field theories, involving noncanonically commuting complex scalar fields, which have been shown to entail a DSR-like symmetry. An open issue for such theories is whether the DSR-like symmetry has to be taken as a physically relevant symmetry, or if in …
We construct second-quantized (field) theories on coset spaces of pseudo-unitary groups U(p,q)$. The existence of degenerated quantum vacua (coherent states of zero modes) leads to a breakdown of the original pseudo-unitary symmetry. The action of some spontaneously broken symmetry transformations destabilize the vacuum and make it to radiate. We study the structure of this thermal radiation for curved phase spaces of constant curvature: complex projective spaces CP^{N-1}=SU(N)/U(N-1) and open complex balls CD^{N-1}=SU(1,N-1)/U(N-1). Positive curvature is related to generalized Fermi-Dirac (FD…
We study the cylinder-plate and the cylinder-cylinder Casimir interaction in the $(D+1)$-dimensional Minkowski spacetime due to the vacuum fluctuations of massless scalar fields. Different combinations of Dirichlet (D) and Neumann (N) boundary conditions are imposed on the two interacting objects. For the cylinder-cylinder interaction, we consider the case where one cylinder is inside the other, and the case where the two cylinders are outside each other. By computing the transition matrices of the objects and the translation matrices that relate different coordinate systems, the explicit form…
We apply the derivative expansion approach to the Casimir effect for a real scalar field in $d$ spatial dimensions, to calculate the next to leading order term in that expansion, namely, the first correction to the proximity force approximation. The field satisfies either Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions on two static mirrors, one of them flat and the other gently curved. We show that, for Dirichlet boundary conditions, the next to leading order term in the Casimir energy is of quadratic order in derivatives, regardless of the number of dimensions. Therefore it is local, and determined…
The two main predictions of quantum field theory in curved space-time, namely Hawking radiation and cosmological pair production, have not been directly tested and involve ultra high energy configurations. As a consequence, they should be considered with caution. Using the analogy with condensed matter systems, their analogue versions could be tested in the lab. Moreover, the high energy behavior of these systems is known and involves dispersion and dissipation, which regulate the theory at short distances. When considering experiments which aim to test the above predictions, there will also b…
In this thesis the cosmological constant is investigated from two points of view. First, we study the influence of a time-dependent cosmological constant on the late-time expansion of the universe. Thereby, we consider several combinations of scaling laws motivated by renormalisation group running and different choices for the interpretation of the renormalisation scale. Apart from well known solutions like de Sitter final states we also observe the appearance of future singularities. As the second topic we explore vacuum energy in the context of discrete extra dimensions, and we calculate the…
Any candidate theory of quantum gravity must address the breakdown of the classical smooth manifold picture of space-time at distances comparable to the Planck length. String theory, in contrast, is formulated on conventional space-time. However, we show that in the low energy limit, the dynamics of generally curved Dirichlet p-branes possess an extended local isometry group, which can be absorbed into the brane geometry as an almost product structure. The induced kinematics encode two invariant scales, namely a minimal length and a maximal speed, without breaking general covariance. Quantum g…
We consider a multigravity approach to spacetime foam. As an application we give indications on the computation of the cosmological constant, considered as an eigenvalue of a Sturm-Liouville problem. A variational approach with Gaussian trial wave functionals is used as a method to study such a problem. We approximate the equation to one loop in a Schwarzschild background and a zeta function regularization is involved to handle with divergences. The regularization is closely related to the subtraction procedure appearing in the computation of Casimir energy in a curved background. A renormaliz…
We present a new one-parameter family of supersymmetric solutions deforming AdS_5. This is constructed as an asymptotically locally anti de Sitter (AlAdS) solution of five-dimensional minimal gauged supergravity, with topology R x R^4 and a non-trivial graviphoton field, and can be uplifted to ten or eleven dimensional supergravities. An analytic continuation of this solution yields the gravity dual to a class of four-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories on a curved manifold with topology S^1 x S^3, comprising an SU(2) x U(1)-symmetric squashed three-sphere, with a non-trivial backgro…
In an attempt to understand a recently discovered torque anomaly in quantum field theory with boundaries, we calculate the Casimir energy and torque of a scalar field subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions on an annular sector defined by two coaxial cylinders intercut by two planes through the axis. In this model the particularly troublesome divergence at the cylinder axis does not appear, but new divergences associated with the curved boundaries are introduced. All the divergences associated with the volume, the surface area, the corners, and the curvature are regulated by point separation …
The physics of de Sitter space is essential to our understanding of our cosmological past, present, and future. It forms the foundation for the statistical predictions of inflation in terms of quantum vacuum fluctuations that are being tested with cosmic surveys. In addition, the current expansion of the universe is dominated by an apparently constant vacuum energy and we again find our universe described by a de Sitter epoch. Despite the success of our predictions for cosmological observables, conceptual questions of the nature of de Sitter abound and are exacerbated by technical challenges i…
