Thermal equilibrium in de Sitter space
Journal Article
·
· Phys. Rev. D; (United States)
Thermal-equilibrium quantum states are constructed for free scalar fields in (N+1)-dimensional de Sitter space. The states are described by density matrices of ''thermal'' form, satisfying the von Neumann equation associated with the appropriate functional Schroedinger equation. These solutions exist only for fields with mass and/or curvature coupling corresponding to conformal invariance. The temperature associated with such a state obeys the classical red-shift law. States exist with any temperature value at any given time; the zero-temperature limit is the Euclidean vacuum state. The total field energy of a thermal state above that of the Euclidean vacuum is finite and positive. This excitation energy consists of one contribution which red-shifts classically, but it can also contain a contribution which grows in time as the radius of the space.
- Research Organization:
- Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, The Observatories, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA, England
- OSTI ID:
- 6313607
- Journal Information:
- Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 39:8; ISSN PRVDA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
640106 -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CONFORMAL INVARIANCE
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS
COUPLING
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
EQUILIBRIUM
EUCLIDEAN SPACE
FIELD THEORIES
HAMILTONIANS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MATRIX ELEMENTS
METRICS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM OPERATORS
RED SHIFT
RIEMANN SPACE
SCALAR FIELDS
SCHROEDINGER EQUATION
SPACE
SPACE-TIME
THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM
VACUUM STATES
WAVE EQUATIONS
645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CONFORMAL INVARIANCE
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS
COUPLING
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
EQUILIBRIUM
EUCLIDEAN SPACE
FIELD THEORIES
HAMILTONIANS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MATRIX ELEMENTS
METRICS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
QUANTUM OPERATORS
RED SHIFT
RIEMANN SPACE
SCALAR FIELDS
SCHROEDINGER EQUATION
SPACE
SPACE-TIME
THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM
VACUUM STATES
WAVE EQUATIONS