Semiclassical and Stochastic Gravity: Quantum Field Effects on Curved Spacetime

by Bei-Lok B. Hu, Enric Verdaguer

Overview

The two pillars of modern physics are general relativity and quantum field theory, the former describes the large scale structure and dynamics of space-time, the latter, the microscopic constituents of matter. Combining the two yields quantum field theory in curved space-time, which is needed to understand quantum field processes in the early universe and black holes, such as the well-known Hawking effect. This book examines the effects of quantum field processes back-reacting on the background space-time which become important near the Planck time (10-43 sec). It explores the self-consistent description of both space-time and matter via the semiclassical Einstein equation of semiclassical gravity theory, exemplified by the inflationary cosmology, and fluctuations of quantum fields which underpin stochastic gravity, necessary for the description of metric fluctuations (space-time foams). Covering over four decades of thematic development, this book is a valuable resource for researchers interested in quantum field theory, gravitation and cosmology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521193573
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/05/2020
Series:	Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics
Pages:	614
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.46(d)

About the Author

Bei-Lok B. Hu is Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and co-authored Nonequilibrium Quantum Field Theory (Cambridge, 2008). His research in theoretical physics focuses on gravitation and quantum theory.

Enric Verdaguer is Professor of Physics at the Universitat de Barcelona. He is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society, specializes in gravitation and gravitational quantum physics, and is co-author of Gravitational Solitons (Cambridge, 2001).

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Overview: main themes. Key issues. Reader's guide; Part I. Effective Action and Regularization, Stress Tensor and Fluctuations: 2. ‘In-out' effective action. Dimensional regularization; 3. ‘In-in' effective action. Stress tensor. Thermal fields; 4. Stress-energy tensor and correlators: zeta-function method; 5. Stress-energy tensor and correlation. Point separation; Part II. Infrared Behavior, 2Pi, 1/n Backreaction and Semiclassical Gravity: 6. Infrared behavior of interacting quantum fields; 7. Advanced field theory topics; 8. Backreaction of early universe quantum processes; Part III. Stochastic Gravity: 9. Metric correlations at one-loop: in-in and large N; 10. The Einstein-Langevin equation; 11. Metric fluctuations in Minkowski spacetime; Part IV. Cosmological and Black Hole Backreaction with Fluctuations: 12. Cosmological backreaction with fluctuations; 13. Structure formation in the early universe; 14. Black hole backreaction and fluctuations; Part V. Quantum Curvature Fluctuations in De Sitter Spacetime: 15. Stress-energy tensor fluctuations in de Sitter space; 16. Two-point metric perturbations in de Sitter; 17. Riemann tensor correlator in de Sitter; 18. Epilogue: linkage with quantum gravity; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'This excellent book is written by two of the best experts in both fields and may be useful for both new researchers and experienced scientists who want to extend or improve their knowledge …the coverage is very extensive and the style is more on the review side … the area of semiclassical gravity is very extensive and, in particular, there are not only different approaches but also different points of view on many particular issues … the book is well written and very informative. As a reader, I have the temptation to stop all other activities and spend some time reading this book further and better learn those topics which I would like to know. And it is certain that many potential readers will find it very useful.' Ilya Shapiro, Mathematical Review Clippings

‘The aim is to help the reader get familiarized with the new topics and techniques through working out some concrete representative problems. The result is a compulsive text quite useful for graduate students and newcomers.’ Farhang Loran, zbMATH

From the Publisher