2006/09/30 by Christopher J. Fewster, Ken D. Olum, Michael J. Pfenning · 1 citation
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #gr-qc #math-ph #math.MP
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.75.025007
published as Phys.Rev.D75:025007,2007 · 12 pages, 1 figure, revTex4 with pstricks figure. Revised to address concerns of referee. Two theorems added to summarize results. v3: add grant acknowledgment
openalex publication_date 2007/01/10 · arxiv created 2007/09/10 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The averaged null energy condition (ANEC) requires that the average along a complete null geodesic of the projection of the stress-energy tensor onto the geodesic tangent vector can never be negative. It is sufficient to rule out many exotic phenomena in general relativity. Subject to certain conditions, we show that the ANEC can never be violated by a quantized minimally coupled free scalar field along a complete null geodesic surrounded by a tubular neighborhood in which the geometry is flat and whose intrinsic causal structure coincides with that induced from the full spacetime. In particular, the ANEC holds in flat space with boundaries, as in the Casimir effect, for geodesics which stay a finite distance away from the boundary.