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Cited by 707Black Holes and Theoretical PhysicsQuantum Electrodynamics and Casimir EffectCosmology and Gravitation Theories

Radiation from a moving mirror in two dimensional space-time: conformal anomaly

Fulling, S. A., Davies, P. C. W.·1976·Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences
DOI 10.1098/rspa.1976.0045
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Abstract

The energy-momentum tensor is calculated in the two dimensional quantum theory of a massless scalar field influenced by the motion of a perfectly reflecting boundary (mirror). This simple model system evidently can provide insight into more sophisticated processes, such as particle production in cosmological models and exploding black holes. In spite of the conformally static nature of the problem, the vacuum expectation value of the tensor for an arbitrary mirror trajectory exhibits a non-vanishing radiation flux (which may be readily computed). The expectation value of the instantaneous energy flux is negative when the proper acceleration of the mirror is increasing, but the total energy radiated during a bounded mirror motion is positive. A uniformly accelerating mirror does not radiate; however, our quantization does not coincide with the treatment of that system as a ‘static universe’. The calculation of the expectation value requires a regularization procedure of covariant separation of points (in products of field operators) along time-like geodesics; more naïve methods do not yield the same answers. A striking example involving two mirrors clarifies the significance of the conformal anomaly.

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Crossref · 10.1098/rspa.1976.0045

Cites

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 11

  1. Casimir H. B. G., 1948, Proc, Kon. Ned. Akad. Wetenschap, 51, 793
  2. Christensen S. M. 1975 Ph.D. Dissertation University of Texas at Austen.
  3. Davies P. C. W., 1975, Phys. Rev. D (in the press).
  4. Ford L. H. 1974 Ph.D. Dissertation Princeton University.
  5. Ford L. H., 1975, Phys. Rev. D l l , 3370.
  6. Grib A. A., 1974, Teor, Mat. Fiz., 19, 59
  7. Parker L. E. 1966 Ph.D. Thesis Harvard University.
  8. Rindler W., 1966, Am, J. Phys., 34, 1174
  9. Tabor D. & Winterton R. H. S. 1969 Proc. R.
  10. Zel'dovich Ya. B., 1970, ZhETF Pis, Red., 12, 443
  11. Zel'dovich Ya. B., 1971, Zh, Eksp. Teor. Fiz., 61, 2161

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Authors
Fulling, S. A., & Davies, P. C. W.
Affiliations
University of London (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Publisher
The Royal Society
Published
1976-03-09
Volume
348
Issue
1654
Pages
393-414
ISSN
  • 0080-4630 (ISSN-L)
  • 2053-9169
DOI
10.1098/rspa.1976.0045
OpenAlex
W2088213592
Cited by
707
References
25
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 14
FWCI
6.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ (tdm)
Locations
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A Mathematical and Physical Sciences (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Nuclear and High Energy Physics › Black Holes and Theoretical Physics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Cosmology and Gravitation Theories
Keywords
trace anomaly, moving mirror, massless scalar field, two-dimensional quantum field theory, energy-momentum tensor, vacuum expectation value, radiation flux, perfectly reflecting boundary, particle production, timelike geodesics

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