Restrictions on negative energy density in flat spacetime
Abstract
In a previous paper, a bound on the negative energy density seen by an arbitrary inertial observer was derived for the free massless, quantized scalar field in four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. This constraint has the form of an uncertainty-principle-type limitation on the magnitude and duration of the negative energy density. That result was obtained after a somewhat complicated analysis. The goal of the current paper is to present a much simpler method for obtaining such constraints. Similar ``quantum inequality'' bounds on negative energy density are derived for the electromagnetic field, and for the massive scalar field in both two- and four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review D
- Pub Date:
- February 1997
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.55.2082
- arXiv:
- arXiv:gr-qc/9607003
- Bibcode:
- 1997PhRvD..55.2082F
- Keywords:
-
- 04.62.+v;
- Quantum field theory in curved spacetime;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- High Energy Physics - Theory
- E-Print:
- 17 pages, including two figures, uses epsf, minor revisions in the Introduction, conclusions unchanged