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The Return of the Singularities: Applications of the Smeared Null Energy Condition

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arxiv 2012.11569 v2 pith:3GH5MV3E submitted 2020-12-21 gr-qc hep-th

The Return of the Singularities: Applications of the Smeared Null Energy Condition

classification gr-qc hep-th
keywords energysemiclassicalnullconditiongravitysingularitytheorembound
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The classic singularity theorems of General Relativity rely on energy conditions that can be violated in semiclassical gravity. Here, we provide motivation for an energy condition obeyed by semiclassical gravity: the smeared null energy condition (SNEC), a proposed bound on the weighted average of the null energy along a finite portion of a null geodesic. We then prove a semiclassical singularity theorem using SNEC as an assumption. This theorem extends the Penrose theorem to semiclassical gravity. We also apply our bound to evaporating black holes and the traversable wormhole of Maldacena-Milekhin-Popov, and comment on the relationship of our results to other proposed semiclassical singularity theorems.

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Cited by 3 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

  1. A Quantum Singularity Theorem for the Evaporating Black Hole

    hep-th 2026-05 unverdicted novelty 7.0

    A new singularity theorem establishes that evaporating black holes in semiclassical gravity are singular under weaker causality assumptions and the Generalized Second Law.

  2. Does Eternal Inflation Violate the Smeared Null Energy Condition?

    gr-qc 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 5.0

    In canonical single-field eternal inflation, stochastic upward fluctuations do not violate the SNEC within the semiclassical slow-roll regime due to parametrically bounded drift and a strong timescale hierarchy N_SNEC ≫ N_BR.

  3. Modave lectures on energy conditions in quantum field theory and semi-classical gravity

    hep-th 2026-05 accept novelty 2.0

    Review of classical energy conditions, their quantum violations, and information-theoretic bounds for semi-classical gravity, based on Modave lectures.