Finite Region Of Spacetime Research Articles

Quasi-local black hole thermodynamics and gravitational pressure

Black hole thermodynamics, in which physical quantities are global, is well established. In realistic astrophysical processes, the quasi-local black hole thermodynamics (thermodynamics in a finite spacetime region) is an essential problem. We develop quasi-local black hole thermodynamics by using the quasi-local energies of gravitation. For the first time, we suggest the concept of gravitational pressure, i.e. the pressure of gravitational field itself in thermodynamics for black holes, and find that it is necessary for quasi-local black hole thermodynamics in asymptotic flat space. We extend quasi-local black hole thermodynamics to the cases of asymptotic de Sitter and anti-de Sitter spaces. This exploration presents new insights into quasi-local energy of gravity, and is much more closely related to realistic astrophysics.

Space and time averaged quantum stress tensor fluctuations

We extend previous work on the numerical diagonalization of quantum stress tensor operators in the Minkowski vacuum state, which considered operators averaged in a finite time interval, to operators averaged in a finite spacetime region. Since real experiments occur over finite volumes and durations, physically meaningful fluctuations may be obtained from stress tensor operators averaged by compactly supported sampling functions in space and time. The direct diagonalization, via a Bogoliubov transformation, gives the eigenvalues and the probabilities of measuring those eigenvalues in the vacuum state, from which the underlying probability distribution can be constructed. For the normal-ordered square of the time derivative of a massless scalar field in a spherical cavity with finite degrees of freedom, analysis of the tails of these distributions confirms previous results based on the analytical treatment of the high moments. We find that the probability of large vacuum fluctuations is reduced when spatial averaging is included, but the tail still decreases more slowly than exponentially as the magnitude of the measured eigenvalues increases, suggesting vacuum fluctuations may not always be subdominant to thermal fluctuations and opening up the possibility of experimental observation under the right conditions.

Black hole interior in unitary gauge construction

A quantum system with a black hole accommodates two widely different, though physically equivalent, descriptions. In one description, based on global spacetime of general relativity, the existence of the interior region is manifest, while understanding unitarity requires nonperturbative quantum gravity effects such as replica wormholes. The other description adopts a manifestly unitary, or holographic, description, in which the interior emerges effectively as a collective phenomenon of fundamental degrees of freedom. In this paper we study the latter approach, which we refer to as the unitary gauge construction. In this picture, the formation of a black hole is signaled by the emergence of a surface (stretched horizon) possessing special dynamical properties: quantum chaos, fast scrambling, and low energy universality. These properties allow for constructing interior operators, as we do explicitly, without relying on details of microscopic physics. A key role is played by certain coarse modes in the zone region (hard modes), which determine the degrees of freedom relevant for the emergence of the interior. We study how the interior operators can or cannot be extended in the space of microstates and analyze irreducible errors associated with such extension. This reveals an intrinsic ambiguity of semiclassical theory formulated with a finite number of degrees of freedom. We provide an explicit prescription of calculating interior correlators in the effective theory, which describes only a finite region of spacetime. We study the issue of state dependence of interior operators in detail and discuss a connection of the resulting picture with the quantum error correction interpretation of holography.

Bandlimited entanglement harvesting

There are many reasons to believe that there is a fundamental minimum length scale below which distances cannot be reliably resolved. One method of constructing a quantum field with a finite minimum length scale is to use bandlimited quantum field theory, where the spacetime is mathematically both continuous and discrete. This is a modification to the field, which has been shown to have many consequences at the level of the field. We consider an operational approach and use a pair of particle detectors (two-level qubits) as a local probe of the field, which are coupled to the vacuum of the bandlimited massless scalar field in a time-dependent way through a switching function. We show that, mathematically, the bandlimit modifies the spatial profile of the detectors so that they are only quasilocal. We explore two different types of switching functions, Gaussian and Dirac delta. We find that, with Gaussian switching, the bandlimit exponentially suppresses the deexcitation of the detectors when the energy gap between the two levels is larger than the bandlimit. If the detectors are prepared in ground state, in certain regions of the parameter space they are able to extract more entanglement from the field than if there was no bandlimit. When the detectors couple with Dirac-delta switching, we show that a particle detector is most sensitive to the bandlimit when it couples to a small but finite region of spacetime. We find that the effects of a bandlimit are detectable using local probes. This work is important because it illustrates the possible observable consequences of a fundamental bandlimit in a quantum field.

Entanglement Entropy and TT[over ¯] Deformation.

Quantum gravity in a finite region of spacetime is conjectured to be dual to a conformal field theory (CFT) deformed by the irrelevant operator TT[over ¯]. We test this conjecture with entanglement entropy, which is sensitive to ultraviolet physics on the boundary, while also probing the bulk geometry. We find that the entanglement entropy for an entangling surface consisting of two antipodal points on a sphere is finite and precisely matches the Ryu-Takayanagi formula applied to a finite region consistent with the conjecture of McGough etal. We also consider a one-parameter family of conical entropies, which are finite and verify a conjecture due to Dong. Since ultraviolet divergences are local, we conclude that the TT[over ¯] deformation acts as an ultraviolet cutoff on the entanglement entropy. Our results support the conjecture that the TT[over ¯]-deformed CFT is the holographic dual of a finite region of spacetime.

Solvation in Space-time: Pretransition Effects in Trajectory Space.

We demonstrate pretransition effects in space-time in trajectories of systems in which the dynamics displays a first-order phase transition between distinct dynamical phases. These effects are analogous to those observed for thermodynamic first-order phase transitions, most notably the hydrophobic effect in water. Considering the (infinite temperature) East model as an elementary example, we study the properties of "space-time solvation" by examining trajectories where finite space-time regions are conditioned to be inactive in an otherwise active phase. We find that solvating an inactive region of space-time within an active trajectory shows two regimes in the dynamical equivalent of solvation free energy: an "entropic" small solute regime in which uncorrelated fluctuations are sufficient to evacuate activity from the solute, and an "energetic" large solute regime which involves the formation of a solute-induced inactive domain with an associated active-inactive interface bearing a dynamical interfacial tension. We also show that as a result of this dynamical interfacial tension there is a dynamical analog of the hydrophobic collapse that drives the assembly of large hydrophobes in water. We discuss the general relevance of these results to the properties of dynamical fluctuations in systems with slow collective relaxation such as glass formers.

Localized non-Abelian gauge fields in non-compact extra dimensions

Dynamical localization of non-Abelian gauge fields in non-compact flat $D$ dimensions is worked out. The localization takes place via a field-dependent gauge kinetic term when a field condenses in a finite region of spacetime. Such a situation typically arises in the presence of topological solitons. We construct four-dimensional low-energy effective Lagrangian up to the quadratic order in a universal manner applicable to any spacetime dimensions. We devise an extension of the $R_\xi$ gauge to separate physical and unphysical modes clearly. Out of the D-dimensional non-Abelian gauge fields, the physical massless modes reside only in the four-dimensional components, whereas they are absent in the extra-dimensional components. The universality of non-Abelian gauge charges holds due to the unbroken four-dimensional gauge invariance. We illustrate our methods with models in $D=5$ (domain walls), in $D=6$ (vortices), and in $D=7$.

Quasilocal energy exchange and the null cone

Energy is at best defined quasilocally in general relativity. Quasilocal energy definitions depend on the conditions one imposes on the boundary Hamiltonian, i.e., how a finite region of spacetime is "isolated". Here, we propose a method to define and investigate systems in terms of their matter plus gravitational energy content. We adopt a generic construction, that involves embedding of an arbitrary dimensional world sheet into an arbitrary dimensional spacetime, to a 2 + 2 picture. In our case, the closed 2-dimensional spacelike surface $\mathbb{S}$, that is orthogonal to the 2-dimensional timelike world sheet $\mathbb{T}$ at every point, encloses the system in question. The integrability conditions of $\mathbb{T}$ and $\mathbb{S}$ correspond to three null tetrad gauge conditions once we transform our notation to the one of the null cone observables. We interpret the Raychaudhuri equation of $\mathbb{T}$ as a work-energy relation for systems that are not in equilibrium with their surroundings. We achieve this by identifying the quasilocal charge densities corresponding to rotational and nonrotational degrees of freedom, in addition to a relative work density associated with tidal fields. We define the corresponding quasilocal charges that appear in our work-energy relation and which can potentially be exchanged with the surroundings. These charges and our tetrad conditions are invariant under type-III Lorentz transformations, i.e., the boosting of the observers in the directions orthogonal to $\mathbb{S}$. We apply our construction to a radiating Vaidya spacetime, a $C$-metric and the interior of a Lanczos-van Stockum dust metric. The delicate issues related to the axially symmetric stationary spacetimes and possible extensions to the Kerr geometry are also discussed.

Spacetime diamonds

We show that the particle-number distribution of diamond modes, modes that are localized in a finite spacetime region, are thermal for the Minkowski vacuum state of a massless scalar field, an analogue to the Unruh effect. The temperature of the diamond is inversely proportional to its size. An inertial observer can detect this thermal radiation by coupling to the diamond modes using an appropriate energy-scaled detector. We further investigate the correlations between various diamonds and find that entanglement between adjacent diamonds dominates.

Quantum-gravity effects outside the horizon spark black to white hole tunneling

We show that there is a classical metric satisfying the Einstein equations outside a finite spacetime region where matter collapses into a black hole and then emerges from a white hole. We compute this metric explicitly. We show how quantum theory determines the (long) time for the process to happen. A black hole can thus quantum-tunnel into a white hole. For this to happen, quantum gravity should affect the metric also in a small region outside the horizon: we show that contrary to what is commonly assumed, this is not forbidden by causality or by the semiclassical approximation, because quantum effects can pile up over a long time. This scenario alters radically the discussion on the black hole information puzzle.

Domain wall network as QCD vacuum and the chromomagnetic trap formation under extreme conditions

The ensemble of Euclidean gluon field configurations represented by the domain wall network is considered. A single domain wall is given by the sine-Gordon kink for the angle between chromomagnetic and chromoelectric components of the gauge field. The domain wall separates the regions with self-dual and anti-self-dual fields. The network of the domain wall defects is introduced as a combination of multiplicative and additive superpositions of kinks. The character of the spectrum and eigenmodes of color-charged fluctuations in the presence of the domain wall network is discussed. The concept of the confinement-deconfinement transition in terms of the ensemble of domain wall networks is outlined. Conditions for the formation of thick domain wall junction during heavy ion collisions are discussed, and the spectrum of color charged quasiparticles inside the trap is evaluated. An important observation is the existence of the critical size $L_c$ of the trap stable against gluon tachyonic modes, which means that deconfinement can occur only in a finite region of space-time in principle. The size $L_c$ is related to the value of gluon condensate $\langle g^2F^2\rangle$.

The imaginary part of the gravity action and black hole entropy

As observed recently in arXiv:1212.2922, the action of General Relativity (GR) in finite spacetime regions has an imaginary part that resembles the Bekenstein entropy. In this paper, we expand on that argument, with attention to different causal types of boundaries. This property of the GR action may open a new approach to the puzzles of gravitational entropy. In particular, the imaginary action can be evaluated for non-stationary finite regions, where the notion of entropy is not fully understood. As a first step in constructing the precise relationship between the imaginary action and entropy, we focus on stationary black hole spacetimes. There, we identify a class of bounded regions for which the action's imaginary part precisely equals the black hole entropy. As a powerful test on the validity of the approach, we also calculate the imaginary action for Lovelock gravity. The result is related to the corresponding entropy formula in the same way as in GR.

Generalized Tomonaga-Schwinger equation from the Hadamard formula

A generalized Tomonaga-Schwinger equation, holding on the entire boundary of a finite spacetime region, has recently been considered as a tool for studying particle scattering amplitudes in background-independent quantum field theory. The equation has been derived using lattice techniques under assumptions on the existence of the continuum limit. Here I show that in the context of continuous Euclidean field theory the equation can be directly derived from the functional integral formalism, using a technique based on Hadamard's formula for the variation of the propagator.

Diamond's temperature: Unruh effect for bounded trajectories and thermal time hypothesis

We study the Unruh effect for an observer with a finite lifetime, using the thermal time hypothesis. The thermal time hypothesis maintains that: (i) time is the physical quantity determined by the flow defined by a state over an observable algebra and (ii) when this flow is proportional to a geometric flow in spacetime, the temperature is the ratio between flow parameter and proper time. An eternal accelerated Unruh observer has access to the local algebra associated with a Rindler wedge. The flow defined by the Minkowski vacuum of a field theory over this algebra is proportional to a flow in spacetime and the associated temperature is the Unruh temperature. An observer with a finite lifetime has access to the local observable algebra associated with a finite spacetime region called a ‘diamond’. The flow defined by the Minkowski vacuum of a (four-dimensional, conformally invariant) quantum field theory over this algebra is also proportional to a flow in spacetime. The associated temperature generalizes the Unruh temperature to finite lifetime observers. Furthermore, this temperature does not vanish even in the limit in which the acceleration is zero. The temperature associated with an inertial observer with lifetime , which we denote as ‘diamond's temperature’, is . This temperature is related to the fact that a finite lifetime observer does not have access to all the degrees of freedom of the quantum field theory. However, we do not attempt to provide any physical interpretation of our proposed assignment of a temperature.

A Proof of Haag-Swieca's Compactness Property for Elastic Scattering States

It is proved that in any massive relativistic quantum field theory satisfying two-particle asymptotic completeness, all the bounded energy components in the elastic two-particle range of all subsets of states which are excitations of the vacuum state by uniformly bounded observables localized in a given finite region of spacetime are compact in the Hilbert space of states. This result, which is in agreement with Haag-Swieca's conjecture, is also given a more precise form in terms of the rate of decrease of the ``N–dimensional thickness'' (or approximation number) of such sets of states when N tends to infinity. A similar computation, valid at arbitrarily high energies, is also given for the massive free-field case.

Exact solutions for gravitational waves with cylindrical, spherical and toroidal wavefronts

Three families of exact vacuum solutions of Einstein's equations are presented which, when considered locally or in some finite spacetime region, describe gravitational waves with distinct nonplane wavefronts propagating into a Minkowski background. The wavefronts may be cylindrical, spherical or toroidal and may include impulsive or shock components or be characterized by arbitrarily weak discontinuities. Considered globally, without matching to any material sources but extending maximally as vacuum solutions, particular curvature singularities arise in the outer regions as the sources of these waves. Specifically, we find waves with a half-cylindrical wavefront driven by two singular parallel half-planes moving apart at the speed of light, waves with a complete exact spherical wavefront created by an expanding line singularity joining opposite poles of the wavefront, and waves with toroidal fronts produced by two parallel coaxial disc-like singularities and an additional line singularity joining their centres. In each case, the character of the gravitational wave on the wavefront is analysed and the collision and subsequent interaction of these waves is considered.

Quantum electromagnetic wormholes and geometrical description of the electric charge.

I present and discuss a class of solutions of the Wheeler-de Witt equation describing wormholes generated by coupling of gravity to the electromagnetic field for Kantowski-Sachs and Bianchi I spacetimes. Since the electric charge can be viewed as electric lines of force trapped in a finite region of spacetime, these solutions can be interpreted as the quantum corresponding of the Ein\-stein\--Ro\-sen\--Mis\-ner\--Whee\-ler electromagnetic geon.

Chronology protection conjecture.

It has been suggested that an advanced civilization might have the technology to warp spacetime so that closed timelike curves would appear, allowing travel into the past. This paper examines this possibility in the case that the causality violations appear in a finite region of spacetime without curvature singularities. There will be a Cauchy horizon that is compactly generated and that in general contains one or more closed null geodesics which will be incomplete. One can define geometrical quantities that measure the Lorentz boost and area increase on going round these closed null geodesics. If the causality violation developed from a noncompact initial surface, the averaged weak energy condition must be violated on the Cauchy horizon. This shows that one cannot create closed timelike curves with finite lengths of cosmic string. Even if violations of the weak energy condition are allowed by quantum theory, the expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor would get very large if timelike curves become almost closed. It seems the back reaction would prevent closed timelike curves from appearing. These results strongly support the chronology protection conjecture: The laws of physics do not allow the appearance of closed timelike curves.

On the interpretation of the relativistic quantum mechanics with invariant evolution parameter

The relativistic quantum mechanics with Lorentz-invariant evolution parameter and indefinite mass is a very elegant theory. But it cannot be derived by quantizing the usual classical relativity in which there is the mass-shell constraint. In this paper the classical theory is modified so that it remains Lorentz invariant, but the constraint disappears; mass is no longer fixed—it is an arbitrary constant of motion. The quantization of this unconstrained theory gives the relativistic quantum mechanics in which wave functions are localized and normalized in spacetime. Though many authors have published good works in support for such a localization in time, the latter has been generally considered as problematic. Here I show that wave packets restricted to a finite region of spacetime are not a nuisance, but just the contrary. They have the physical interpretation in the fact that an observer perceives a world line event by event, as his experience of “now” proceeds in spacetime. Quantum mechanically this means that at a certain value of the evolution parameter τ the event is most probably to occur within the spacetime region around {ie1005-1} occupied by the wave packet; at later value of τ the position {ie1005-2}—and hence the time coordinate t—of the wave packet is changed. This is closely related to the interpretation of quantum mechanics in general.

Computer simulations of stationary cylindrical solutions to Einstein's equations for perfect fluids

A hybrid digital/analogue computer is employed for simulations of a class of stationary axisymmetric solutions to Einstein's equations for perfect fluids. The mass density and the pressure were allowed to be non-zero only in a finite region of spacetime. Also exterior solutions were considered. Many metrics are regular at the z axis. By varying the initial conditions, no asymptotically flat spacetimes could be obtained. This should be compared with the known result that no everywhere regular, stationary, axisymmetric dust solution admits an asymptotically flat metric.