Quantum field theory in spaces with closed time-like curves

Technical Report · Thu Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10140432· OSTI ID:10140432

Boulware, D G

Gott spacetime has closed timelike curves, but no locally anomalous stress-energy. A complete orthonormal set of eigenfunctions of the wave operator is found in the special case of a spacetime in which the total deficit angle is 27{pi}. A scalar quantum field theory is constructed using these eigenfunctions. The resultant interacting quantum field theory is not unitary because the field operators can create real, on-shell, particles in the acausal region. These particles propagate for finite proper time accumulating an arbitrary phase before being annihilated at the same spacetime point as that at which they were created. As a result, the effective potential within the acausal region is complex, and probability is not conserved. The stress tensor of the scalar field is evaluated in the neighborhood of the Cauchy horizon; in the case of a sufficiently small Compton wavelength of the field, the stress tensor is regular and cannot prevent the formation of the Cauchy horizon.

• Research Organization: Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (United States). Dept. of Physics
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FG06-91ER40614
• OSTI ID: 10140432
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/40614--19; ON: DE93010564; IN: UW/PT--92-04
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

662110
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
EIGENFUNCTIONS
GREEN FUNCTION
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MATRIX ELEMENTS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM OPERATORS
SCALAR FIELDS
SPACE-TIME
THEORY OF FIELDS AND STRINGS