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Semiclassical Gravity Theory and Quantum Fluctuations

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arxiv gr-qc/9304008 v1 pith:BFFA7G5E submitted 1993-04-06 gr-qc

classification gr-qc
keywords fluctuationsclassicaldensityenergyfieldlargemetrictheory
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal
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We discuss the limits of validity of the semiclassical theory of gravity in which a classical metric is coupled to the expectation value of the stress tensor. It is argued that this theory is a good approximation only when the fluctuations in the stress tensor are small. We calculate a dimensionless measure of these fluctuations for a scalar field on a flat background in particular cases, including squeezed states and the Casimir vacuum state. It is found that the fluctuations are small for states which are close to a coherent state, which describes classical behavior, but tend to be large otherwise. We find in all cases studied that the energy density fluctuations are large whenever the local energy density is negative. This is taken to mean that the gravitational field of a system with negative energy density, such as the Casimir vacuum, is not described by a fixed classical metric but is undergoing large metric fluctuations. We propose an operational scheme by which one can describe a fluctuating gravitational field in terms of the statistical behavior of test particles. For this purpose we obtain an equation of the form of the Langevin equation used to describe Brownian motion.

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Cited by 6 Pith papers

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

  1. Geometric noise spectrum in interferometers

    hep-th 2026-01 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    The noise spectrum an interferometer would see from quantum spacetime jitter is computed for vacuum, thermal, squeezed, and scalar-backreaction states; all are Planck-suppressed.

  2. Towards a unified quantum field theory of dark energy and inflation: unstable de Sitter vacuum and running vacuum

    gr-qc 2026-01 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    The vacuum energy of quantum fields, computed exactly in de Sitter spacetime and then allowed to decay into radiation, can drive H^4-powered inflation and leave a slowly running dark energy δρ_vac ~ m_Pl^2 H^2, unifyi...

  3. Geometric noise spectrum in interferometers

    hep-th 2026-01 unverdicted novelty 5.0 of 10

    Computes UV-finite noise spectra in interferometers from graviton fluctuations in vacuum/thermal/squeezed states and from massless scalar vacuum stress-energy, all Planck-suppressed.

  4. Running Vacuum in the expanding Universe: a unified QFT paradigm for Inflation and Dark Energy

    gr-qc 2026-06 unverdicted novelty 3.0 of 10

    The running vacuum model derives dynamical vacuum energy from QFT in curved spacetime, using H^4 terms for inflation and H^2 terms for dark energy while G evolves logarithmically.

  5. Running Vacuum in the expanding Universe: a unified QFT paradigm for Inflation and Dark Energy

    gr-qc 2026-06 conditional novelty 3.0 of 10

    QFT in FLRW spacetime yields a running vacuum energy density ρ_vac(H) that unifies mild dynamical dark energy today with H^4 inflation without an inflaton field.

  6. Recent developments in semiclassical gravity

    gr-qc 2025-09 unverdicted novelty 2.0 of 10

    A short survey of semiclassical gravity advances, with emphasis on the author's own results on the initial value problem and a conjecture that black hole information loss is avoided.

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