Averaged null energy condition in spacetimes with boundaries

Journal Article · Mon Jan 15 04:00:00 EST 2007 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVD.75.025007· OSTI ID:21010920

Fewster, Christopher J; Olum, Ken D; Pfenning, Michael J ^[1]

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1. Department of Mathematics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD (United Kingdom)

The averaged null energy condition (ANEC) requires that the average along a complete null geodesic of the projection of the stress-energy tensor onto the geodesic tangent vector can never be negative. It is sufficient to rule out many exotic phenomena in general relativity. Subject to certain conditions, we show that the ANEC can never be violated by a quantized minimally coupled free scalar field along a complete null geodesic surrounded by a tubular neighborhood in which the geometry is flat and whose intrinsic causal structure coincides with that induced from the full spacetime. In particular, the ANEC holds in flat space with boundaries, as in the Casimir effect, for geodesics which stay a finite distance away from the boundary.

• OSTI ID: 21010920
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Journal Name: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 75; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CASIMIR EFFECT
COSMOLOGY
DISTANCE
GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY
GEODESICS
GEOMETRY
SCALAR FIELDS
SPACE-TIME
VECTORS