Cosmology Quantum Vacuum And Zeta Functions

Some major developments of physics in the last three decades are addressed by highly qualified specialists in different specific fields. They include renormalization problems in QFT, vacuum energy fluctuations and the Casimir effect in different configurations, and a wealth of applications. A number of closely related issues are also considered. The cosmological applications of these theories play a crucial role and are at the very heart of the book; in particular, the possibility to explain in a unified way the whole history of the evolution of the Universe: from primordial inflation to the present day accelerated expansion. Further, a description of the mathematical background underlying many of the physical theories considered above is provided. This includes the uses of zeta functions in physics, as in the regularization problems in QFT already mentioned, specifically in curved space-time, and in Casimir problems as.

Some major developments of physics in the last three decades are addressed by highly qualified specialists in different specific fields. They include renormalization problems in QFT, vacuum energy fluctuations and the Casimir effect in different configurations, and a wealth of applications. A number of closely related issues are also considered. The cosmological applications of these theories play a crucial role and are at the very heart of the book; in particular, the possibility to explain in a unified way the whole history of the evolution of the Universe: from primordial inflation to the present day accelerated expansion. Further, a description of the mathematical background underlying many of the physical theories considered above is provided. This includes the uses of zeta functions in physics, as in the regularization problems in QFT already mentioned, specifically in curved space-time, and in Casimir problems as.

This book is aimed at theoretical and mathematical physicists and mathematicians interested in modern gravitational physics. I have thus tried to use language familiar to readers working on classical and quantum gravity, paying attention both to difficult calculations and to existence theorems, and discussing in detail the current literature. The first aim of the book is to describe recent work on the problem of boundary conditions in one-loop quantum cosmology. The motivation of this research was to under stand whether supersymmetric theories are one-loop finite in the presence of boundaries, with application to the boundary-value problemsoccurring in quantum cosmology. Indeed, higher-loop calculations in the absence of boundaries are already available in the litera ture, showing that supergravity is not finite. I believe, however, that one-loop calculations in the presence of boundaries are more fundamental, in that they provide a more direct check of the inconsistency of supersymmetric quantum cosmology from the perturbative point of view. It therefore appears that higher-order calculations are not strictly needed, if the one-loop test already yields negative results. Even though the question is not yet settled, this research has led to many interesting, new applications of areas of theoretical and mathematical physics such as twistor theory in flat space, self-adjointness theory, the generalized Riemann zeta-function, and the theory of boundary counterterms in super gravity. I have also compared in detail my work with results by other authors, explaining, whenever possible, the origin of different results, the limits of my work and the unsolved problems.

This detailed survey comprises reprints on subjects related to the development of quantum cosmology. As an introduction, an overview is included.

Zeta regularization is a method to treat the divergent quantities appearing in several areas of mathematical physics and, in particular, in quantum field theory; it is based on the fascinating idea that a finite value can be ascribed to a formally divergent expression via analytic continuation with respect to a complex regulating parameter. This book provides a thorough overview of zeta regularization for the vacuum expectation values of the most relevant observables of a quantized, neutral scalar field in Minkowski spacetime; the field can be confined to a spatial domain, with suitable boundary conditions, and an external potential is possibly present. Zeta regularization is performed in this framework for both local and global observables, like the stress-energy tensor and the total energy; the analysis of their vacuum expectation values accounts for the Casimir physics of the system. The analytic continuation process required in this setting by zeta regularization is deeply linked to some integral kernels; these are determined by the fundamental elliptic operator appearing in the evolution equation for the quantum field. The book provides a systematic illustration of these connections, devised as a toolbox for explicit computations in specific configurations; many examples are presented. A comprehensive account is given of the existing literature on this subject, including the previous work of the authors. The book will be useful to anyone interested in a mathematically sound description of quantum vacuum effects, from graduate students to scientists working in this area. Contents: General Theory: Zeta Regularization for a Scalar FieldThe Zeta Regularized Stress-Energy VEV in Terms of Integral KernelsTotal Energy and Forces on the BoundarySome Variations of the Previous SchemesApplications: A Massless Field on the SegmentA Massless Field Between Parallel HyperplanesA Massive Field Constrained by Perpendicular HyperplanesA Massless Field in a Three-Dimensional WedgeA Scalar Field with a Harmonic Background PotentialA Massless Field Inside a Rectangular BoxAppendices: The "Improved" Stress-Energy TensorOn the Regularity of Some Integral KernelsA Contour Integral Representation for Mellin TransformsSome Identities for the Dirichlet Kernel in a Slab ConfigurationDerivation of Some Results on Boundary ForcesAn Explicit Expression for the Renormalized Dirichlet Kernel of Half-Integer Order Readership: Graduate students and researchers including academics in theoretical physics. Keywords: Quantum Field Theory;Zeta Regularization;Casimir Effect;Stress-Energy TensorReview: Key Features: Zeta regularization is used in a systematic way for both local and global aspects related to the vacuum state of a quantized field, marking a difference with respect to the existing literature, in which local aspects (say, the stress-energy tensor) do not receive the full attention they would deserve (especially, in the presence of boundary conditions)Explicit computations are carried out for several configurations, applying in a uniform way the general algorithmsGive a more intuitive approach to the subject by implementing the regularization using canonical quantization in a Lorentzian framework

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In virtue of its features, Bohm's quantum potential introduces interesting and relevant perspectives towards a satisfactory geometrodynamic description of quantum processes. This book makes a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of some of the most significant elements and results about the geometrodynamic picture determined by the quantum potential in various contexts. Above all, the book explores the perspectives about the fundamental arena subtended by the quantum potential, the link between the geometry associated to the quantum potential and a fundamental quantum vacuum. After an analysis of the geometry subtended by the quantum potential in the different fields of quantum physics (the non-relativistic domain, the relativistic domain, the relativistic quantum field theory, the quantum gravity domain and the canonical quantum cosmology), in the second part of the book, a recent interpretation of Bohm's quantum potential in terms of a more fundamental entity called quantum entropy, the approach of the symmetryzed quantum potential and the link between quantum potential and quantum vacuum are analysed, also in the light of the results obtained by the author. Contents: Introduction The Geometry of the Quantum Potential in Different Contexts Quantum Entropy and Quantum Potential Immediate Quantum Information and Symmetryzed Quantum Potential The Quantum Potential ... and the Quantum Vacuum Conclusions References Index Readership: Researchers interested in the link between the geometrodynamic action of the quantum potential and a fundamental quantum vacuum, in the different contexts of quantum physics. Keywords: Entropy;Quantum;Potential;Symmetry;Geometry;GeometrodynamicReview: Key Features: This book provides a complete guide to the geometrodynamic features of the quantum potential as key of reading and understanding of the different fields of quantum physics To explore relevant perspectives about the fundamental arena of quantum processes which determines the action of the quantum potential and its geometry This book introduces, in the light of relevant current research, interesting and novel perspectives as regards the link between the geometrodynamic action of the quantum potential and a fundamental quantum vacuum, in the different contexts of quantum physics