In 1999, R. B. Mann proposed a counterterm that is some sort of generalization of the well-known Holographic counterterm and that can eliminate the divergence of the gravitational action of asymptotically AdS and flat spacetimes (Phys. Rev. D $\boldsymbol{60}$ (1999) 104047 [1]). I show it is not only for eliminating the divergence of such spacetimes but also for setting the ground state energy to zero for any $d$-dimensional spacetimes with an $S^{d-2} \times \mathbb{R} $ boundary geometry, and speculate it is also true for spacetimes with any (suitable) boundary geometry and topology.
The divergences of the gravitational action are analyzed for spacetimes that are asymptotically anti-de Sitter and asymptotically flat. The gravitational action is rendered finite using a local counterterm prescription, and the relation of this method to the traditional reference spacetime is discussed. For AdS, an iterative procedure is devised that determines the counterterms efficiently. For asymptotically flat space, we use a different method to derive counterterms which are sufficient to remove divergences in most cases.
The recently proposed technique to regularize the divergences of the gravitational action on non-compact space by adding boundary counterterms is studied. We propose prescription for constructing the boundary counterterms which are polynomial in the boundary curvature. This prescription is efficient for both asymptotically Anti-de Sitter and asymptotically flat spaces. Being mostly interested in the asymptotically flat case we demonstrate how our procedure works for known examples of non-compact spaces: Eguchi-Hanson metric, Kerr-Newman metric, Taub-NUT and Taub-bolt metrics and others. Analyz…
The finiteness condition of renormalization gives a restriction on the form of the gravitational action. By reconsidering the Hathrell's RG equations for massless QED in curved space, we determine the gravitational counterterms and the conformal anomalies as well near four dimensions. As conjectured for conformal couplings in 1970s, we show that at all orders of the perturbation they can be combined into two forms only: the square of the Weyl tensor in $D$ dimensions and $E_D=G_4 +(D-4)χ(D)H^2 -4χ(D) \nabla^2 H$, where $G_4$ is the usual Euler density, $H=R/(D-1)$ is the rescaled scalar curvat…
We consider in more detail the covariant counterterm proposed by Mann and Marolf in asymptotically flat spacetimes. With an eye to specific practical computations using this counterterm, we present explicit expressions in general $d$ dimensions that can be used in the so-called `cylindrical cut-off' to compute the action and the associated conserved quantities for an asymptotically flat spacetime. As applications, we show how to compute the action and the conserved quantities for the NUT-charged spacetime and for the Kerr black hole in four dimensions.
Weinberg's asymptotic safety scenario provides an elegant mechanism to construct a quantum theory of gravity within the framework of quantum field theory based on a non-Gaußian fixed point of the renormalization group flow. In this work we report novel evidence for the validity of this scenario, using functional renormalization group techniques to determine the renormalization group flow of the Einstein-Hilbert action supplemented by the two-loop counterterm found by Goroff and Sagnotti. The resulting system of beta functions comprises three scale-dependent coupling constants and exhibits a no…
We present a modified version of the boundary counterterm method for removing divergences from the action of an asymptotically $AdS$ spacetime. The standard approach renders the action finite but leaves diffeomorphism invariance partially broken if the dimension of the spacetime is odd. We show that this symmetry is restored by a new boundary counterterm, needed to cancel a divergence that appears in dimensional regularization. The result is a finite, diffeomorphism invariant action appropriate for gravitational physics. As an example we calculate the action for the Kerr-$AdS_5$ black hole. Un…
We propose to compute the action and global charges of the asymptotically anti-de Sitter solutions in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet theory by adding boundary counterterms to the gravitational action. The general expression of the counterterms and the boundary stress tensor is presented for spacetimes of dimension $d\leq 9$. We apply this tehnique for several different types of black objects. Apart from static and rotating black holes, we consider also Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet black string solutions with negative cosmological constant.
Although gravitational actions diverge in asymptotically AdS spacetimes, boundary counterterms can be added in order to cancel out those divergences; such counterterms are known in general to third order in the Riemann tensor for the Einstein-Hilbert action. Considering foliations of AdS with an $S^m \times H^{d-m}$ boundary, we discuss a simple algorithm which we use to generate counterterms up to sixth order in the Riemann tensor, for the Einstein-Hilbert, Gauss-Bonnet and third-order-Lovelock Lagrangians. We also comment on other theories such as $F(R)$ gravity.
We consider the Complexity=Action (CA) proposal in Einstein gravity and investigate new counterterms which are able to remove all the UV divergences of holographic complexity. We first show that the two different methods for regularizing the gravitational on-shell action proposed in Ref. \cite{Carmi:2016wjl} are completely equivalent, provided that one considers the Gibbons-Hawking-York term as well as new counterterms inspired from holographic renormalization on timelike boundaries of the WDW patch. Next, we introduce new counterterms on the null boundaries of the WDW patch for four and five …
Recent work has shown that the addition of an appropriate covariant boundary term to the gravitational action yields a well-defined variational principle for asymptotically flat spacetimes and thus leads to a natural definition of conserved quantities at spatial infinity. Here we connect such results to other formalisms by showing explicitly i) that for spacetime dimension $d \ge 4$ the canonical form of the above-mentioned covariant action is precisely the ADM action, with the familiar ADM boundary terms and ii) that for $d=4$ the conserved quantities defined by counter-term methods agree pre…
We use local counterterm prescriptions for asymptotically flat space to compute the action and conserved quantities in five-dimensional Kaluza-Klein theories. As an application of these prescriptions we compute the mass of the Kaluza-Klein magnetic monopole. We find consistent results with previous approaches that employ a background subtraction.
We compute the one loop graviton contribution to the self-energy of a very light fermion on a locally de Sitter background. This result can be used to study the effect that a small mass has on the propagation of fermions through the sea of infrared gravitons generated by inflation. We employ dimensional regularization and obtain a fully renormalized result by absorbing all divergences with BPHZ counterterms. An interesting technical aspect of this computation is the need for two noninvariant counterterms owing to the breaking of de Sitter invariance by our gauge condition.
We develop a general framework for constructing charges associated with diffeomorphisms in gravitational theories using covariant phase space techniques. This framework encompasses both localized charges associated with spacetime subregions, as well as global conserved charges of the full spacetime. Expressions for the charges include contributions from the boundary and corner terms in the subregion action, and are rendered unambiguous by appealing to the variational principle for the subregion, which selects a preferred form of the symplectic flux through the boundaries. The Poisson brackets …
In the present article, Radiative Correction (RC) to the Casimir energy was computed for the self-interacting massive/massless Lifshitz-like scalar field, confined between a pair of plates with Dirichlet and Mixed boundary conditions in $3+1$ dimensions. Moreover, using the results obtained for the Dirichlet Casimir energy, the RC to the Casimir energy for Periodic and Neumann boundary conditions were also draw outed. To renormalize the bare parameters of the Lagrangian, a systematic perturbation expansion was used in which the counterterms were automatically obtained in a position-dependent m…
Using the Brown-York prescription for the definition of quasilocal gravitational energy-momentum tensor on a boundary and also complete canonical structure on a null boundary which has been found recently \cite{Aghapour:2018icu}, we propose a similar stress tensor on the null boundary. Then we exploit this stress tensor to compute the quasi-local energy and angular momentum for some well-known gravitational solutions. We have found that in addition to reference spacetime method for regularizing total energy, in the case of null boundary we can add a possible counterterm so avoiding embedding d…
The Mann-Marolf surface term is a specific candidate for the "reference background term" that is to be subtracted from the Gibbons-Hawking surface term in order make the total gravitational action of asymptotically flat spacetimes finite. That is, the total gravitational action is taken to be: (Einstein-Hilbert bulk term) + (Gibbons-Hawking surface term) - (Mann-Marolf surface term). As presented by Mann and Marolf, their surface term is specified implicitly in terms of the Ricci tensor of the boundary. Herein I demonstrate that for the physically interesting case of a (3+1) dimensional bulk s…
We revisit the subject of holographic renormalization for asymptotically AdS spacetimes. For many applications of holography, one has to handle the divergences associated with the on-shell gravitational action. The brute force approach uses the Fefferman-Graham (FG) expansion near the AdS boundary to identify the divergences, but subsequent reversal of the expansion is needed to construct the infinite counterterms. While in principle straightforward, the method is cumbersome and application/reversal of FG is formally unsatisfactory. Various authors have proposed an alternative method based on …
Minimal $D=5$ supergravity admits asymptotically globally AdS$_5$ gravitational solitons (strictly stationary, geodesically complete spacetimes with positive mass). We show that, like asymptotically flat gravitational solitons, these solutions satisfy mass and mass variation formulas analogous to those satisfied by AdS black holes. A thermodynamic volume associated to the non-trivial topology of the spacetime plays an important role in this construction. We then consider these solitons within the holographic ``complexity equals action'' and ``complexity equals volume'' conjectures as simple ex…
A regularization-independent universal formula for the energy--momentum tensor in gauge theory in the flat spacetime can be written down by employing the so-called Yang--Mills gradient flow. We examine a possible use of the formula in the calculation of the axial $U(1)$ anomaly in a gravitational field, the anomaly first obtained by Toshiei Kimura [Prog.\ Theor.\ Phys.\ {\bf 42}, 1191 (1969)]. As a general argument indicates, the formula reproduces the correct non-local structure of the (axial $U(1)$ current)--(energy--momentum tensor)--(energy--momentum tensor) triangle diagram in a way that …
The entanglement entropy associated with a spatial boundary in quantum field theory is UV divergent, with the leading term proportional to the area of the boundary. For a class of quantum states defined by a path integral, the Callan-Wilczek formula gives a geometrical definition of the entanglement entropy. We show that, for this class of quantum states, the entanglement entropy is rendered UV-finite by precisely the counterterms required to cancel the UV divergences in the gravitational effective action. In particular, the leading contribution to the entanglement entropy is given by the reno…
We examine the real-time dynamics of a system of one or more black holes interacting with long wavelength gravitational fields. We find that the (classical) renormalizability of the effective field theory that describes this system necessitates the introduction of a time dependent mass counterterm, and consequently the mass parameter must be promoted to a dynamical degree of freedom. To track the time evolution of this dynamical mass, we compute the expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor within the in-in formalism, and fix the time dependence by imposing energy-momentum conservation. …
Assuming that the mechanism proposed by Gell-Mann and Hartle works as a mechanism for decoherence and classicalization of the metric field, we formally derive the form of an effective theory for the gravitational field in a semiclassical regime. This effective theory takes the form of the usual semiclassical theory of gravity, based on the semiclassical Einstein equation, plus a stochastic correction which accounts for the back reaction of the lowest order matter stress-energy fluctuations.
We study the possible effects of classical gravitational backgrounds on the Higgs field through the modifications induced in the one-loop effective potential and the vacuum expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor. We concentrate our study on the Higgs self-interaction contribution in a perturbed FRW metric. For weak and slowly varying gravitational fields, a complete set of mode solutions for the Klein-Gordon equation is obtained to leading order in the adiabatic approximation. Dimensional regularization has been used in the integral evaluation and a detailed study of the integration o…
The Quantum renormalization group (QRG) is a realisation of holography through a coarse graining prescription that maps the beta functions of a quantum field theory thought to live on the `boundary' of some space to holographic actions in the `bulk' of this space. A consistency condition will be proposed that translates into general covariance of the gravitational theory in the $D + 1$ dimensional bulk. This emerges from the application of the QRG on a planar matrix field theory living on the $D$ dimensional boundary. This will be a particular form of the Wess--Zumino consistency condition tha…
We calculate the deflection angle of light from a distant source by a galaxy cluster in Weyl's conformal gravity. The general method of calculation is first applied to calculate the deflection angle in Schwarzschild-de Sitter (Kottler) spacetime. The deflection angle calculated in Kottler spacetime includes the contribution of the cosmological constant, which quantitatively agrees with one work and disagrees with many works in the literature. We then calculate the deflection angle in Mannheim-Kazanas spacetime in two conformally related coordinate systems and find that the result includes cont…
We study the variational principle over an Hilbert-Einstein like action for an extended geometry taking into account torsion and non-metricity. By extending the semi-Riemannian geometry, we obtain an effective energy-momentum tensor which can be interpreted as physical sources. As an application we develop a new manner to obtain the gravitational wave equations on a Weyl-integrable manifold taking into account the non-metricity and non-trivial boundary conditions on the minimization of the action, which can be identified as possible sources for the cosmological constant and provides two differ…
An exact solution is obtained for the gravitational bending of light in static, spherically symmetric metrics which includes the Schwarzschild-de Sitter spacetime and also the Mannheim-Kazanas metric of conformal Weyl gravity. From the exact solution, we obtain a small bending-angle-approximation for a lens system where the source, lens and observer are co-aligned. This expansion improves previous calculations where we systematically avoid parameter ranges that correspond to non-existent null trajectories. The linear coefficient $γ$ characteristic to conformal gravity is shown to contribute en…
Foreword. While most textbooks of general relativity and research articles discuss at length the relative merits of the pseudo tensors proposed by Einstein and by other authors for representing the energy of the gravitational field, Levi Civita's definition of a true gravitational energy tensor has succumbed to the authority of Einstein and is nearly forgotten. It seems however worthy of a careful re-examination, due to its unquestionable logical soundness and to the unique manner of propagation for gravitational energy that it entails.
We rewrite the Klein-Gordon (KG) equation in an arbitrary space-time transforming it into a generalized Schrödinger equation. Then we take the weak field limit and show that this equation has some differences with the traditional Schrödinger equation plus a gravitational field. Thus, this procedure shows that the Schrödinger equation derived in a covariant manner is different from the traditional one. With this new Schrödinger equation, we study the KG equation in a Newtonian space-time to describe the behavior of a scalar particle in an inertial system. We give some examples where it is possi…
Gravitational wave standard sirens have been considered as precision distance indicators to high redshift; however, at high redshift standard sirens or standard candles such as supernovae suffer from lensing noise. We investigate lensing noise as a signal instead and show how measurements of the maximum demagnification (minimum convergence) probe cosmology in a highly complementary manner to the distance itself. Revisiting the original form for minimum convergence we quantify the bias arising from the commonly used approximation. Furthermore, after presenting a new lensing probability function…
