Versatile Method for Renormalized Stress-Energy Computation in Black-Hole Spacetimes.

Abstract

We report here on a new method for calculating the renormalized stress-energy tensor (RSET) in black-hole (BH) spacetimes, which should also be applicable to dynamical BHs and to spinning BHs. This new method only requires the spacetime to admit a single symmetry. Thus far, we have developed three variants of the method, aimed for stationary, spherically symmetric, or axially symmetric BHs. We used this method to calculate the RSET of a minimally coupled massless scalar field in Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordström backgrounds for several quantum states. We present here the results for the RSET in the Schwarzschild case in the Unruh state (the state describing BH evaporation). The RSET is type I at weak field, and becomes type IV at r≲2.78M. Then we use the RSET results to explore violation of the weak and null energy conditions. We find that both conditions are violated all the way from r≃4.9M to the horizon. We also find that the averaged weak energy condition is violated by a class of (unstable) circular timelike geodesics. Most remarkably, the circular null geodesic at r=3M violates the averaged null energy condition.