2012/12/11 by Eleni-Alexandra Kontou, Ken D. Olum
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Classical mechanics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Curvature #Energy condition #General relativity #Geodesic #Geodesics in general relativity #Geometry #Mathematical analysis #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Null (SQL) #Physics #Riemann curvature tensor #Scalar field #Wormhole #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.87.064009
arxiv created 2012/12/11 · openalex publication_date 2013/03/06 · arxiv updated 2013/03/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The averaged null energy condition (ANEC) states that the integral along a complete null geodesic of the projection of the stress-energy tensor onto the tangent vector to the geodesic cannot be negative. Exotic spacetimes, such as those allow wormholes or the construction of time machines are possible in general relativity only if ANEC is violated along achronal geodesics. Starting from a conjecture that flat-space quantum inequalities apply with small corrections in spacetimes with small curvature, we prove that ANEC is obeyed by a minimally coupled, free quantum scalar field on any achronal null geodesic surrounded by a tubular neighborhood whose curvature is produced by a classical source.