Quantum corrections to the stress-energy tensor in thermodynamical equilibrium with acceleration and vorticity

by Francesco Becattini (FI)

Friday 6 Nov 2015, 14:30 → 15:30 Europe/Rome

Aula seminari teorici ( 281 )

It is shown that the stress-energy tensor has additional terms with respect to the ideal form in states of global thermodynamic equilibrium in flat spacetime with non-vanishing acceleration and vorticity. These terms are of quantum origin and they are usually tiny but they can become important in extreme situations. Unlike usual thermodynamic pressure and energy density, they depend on the explicit form of the stress-energy operator, implying that different operators are thermodynamically inequivalent. They persist in gravitational fields along with further corrections proportional to the Riemann tensor with thermal coefficients depending on temperature and chemical potential.