nLab vacuum energy

Definition

Given a Feynman propagator $\frac{1}{H}$, then the corresponding vacuum energy $Z$ is the logarithm of the functional determinant $det_{reg}$ of $H$

$$Z \coloneqq -log\,det_{reg} H \,.$$

Properties

In terms of special values of the zeta function

The vacuum energy is equivalently the special value of the zeta function $\zeta_H$ of $H$ given by the derivative at 0:

$$Z = -\frac{1}{2}\zeta_H^\prime(0) \,.$$

See at zeta function of an elliptic differential operator – Functional determinant for more.

In terms of the path integral and relation to generating function

Traditionally the vacuum energy is expressed in terms of a hypothetical path integral. (As opposed to the above zeta-function formalization this is not rigorous, but it serves to give the idea of why this is the vacuum energy and the the zeta-function expression may be taken to be the rigorous definition of the path integral heuristics.)

By analogy with finite-dimensional Gaussian integrals (see at Feynman diagram – For finitely many degrees of freedom) one expects that the Wick rotated vacuum amplitude version of the path integral (no field insertions, no boundary conditions) is

$$\underset{\phi \in \mathbf{Fields}}{\int} \exp(- S_H(\phi)) D\phi = (det_reg H)^{-1/2} \,.$$

Therefore

$$log \underset{\phi \in \mathbf{Fields}}{\int} \exp(- S_H(\phi)) D\phi = -\frac{1}{2}log\, det_{reg} H$$

is the generating functional for n-point functions. (…)

e.g. (Scrucca, section 1.6, Edelstein 13, page 2)

As holomorphic potential for Determinant line bundle

Regard

$$h \coloneqq \frac{1}{2} det_{reg}H$$

as a hermitian structure on a holomorphic line bundle, hence, locally, as the absolute value-squared of the unit section $\phi_i$ of a holomorphic line bundle with respect to a local trivializing section (see at Chern connection).

$$h|_{U_i} = {\Vert \phi_i \Vert}^2 \,.$$

Then this line bundle is the determinant line bundle of $H$. (Quillen 85), review includes (Freed 87, p. 18, Qiu 12, section 2.8.1).

The Chern connection is

$$A = \partial log(h) = \partial \frac{1}{2} det_{reg}H = \partial Z$$

and the curvature differential 2-form is

$$F = i \bar \partial\partial Z \,.$$

eh? Something wrong with the factors of $1/2$ here…

Applications

The solution to the strong CP problem via axions

In the solution to the strong CP problem via axions it is analysis of the dependency of the vacuum energy of Yang-Mills theory on the theta-angle? $\theta$ which is argued to show that the axion expectation value $\theta = \langle a \rangle$ vanishes (Vafa-Witten 84).

See at axion – As a solution to the strong CP-problem.

Related concepts

quantum probability theory – observables and states

• states

  • classical state

  • quantum state

    • space of states (in geometric quantization)

    • state on a star-algebra, quasi-state

    • qbit, Bell state

      dimer, tensor network state

    • quantum state preparation

    • probability amplitude, quantum fluctuation

    • pure state

      • wave function

      • bra-ket

      • Bell state

    • quantum superposition, quantum interference

    • quantum entanglement

    • quantum measurement

      wave function collapse

      Born rule

      deferred measurement principle

      quantum reader monad

      measurement problem

    • superselection sector

    • mixed state, density matrix

      entanglement entropy

      holographic entanglement entropy

    • coherent quantum state

  • ground state, excited state

  • quasi-free state

  • Fock space, second quantization

  • vacuum, vacuum state

    • Hadamard state

    • vacuum diagram

    • vacuum expectation value, vacuum amplitude, vacuum fluctuation

    • vacuum energy

    • vacuum polarization

    • interacting vacuum

    • thermal vacuum, KMS state

    • vacuum stability

      • false vacuum, tachyon, Coleman-De Luccia instanton

    • theta vacuum

    • perturbative string theory vacuum

      • non-geometric string theory vacuum

      • landscape of string theory vacua

  • entangled state

  • tensor network state

    • matrix product state

    • tree tensor network state

• observables

  • quantum observable, beable

  • algebra of observables, star-algebra

  • Bohr topos

  • quantum operator (in geometric quantization)

  • quantum operation, quantum effect, effect algebra

  • in quantum field theory

    • local observable

    • polynomial observable

      • linear observable

        • field observable

    • regular observable

    • microcausal observable

    • normal-ordered product, time-ordered products, retarded product

    • Wick algebra

    • scattering amplitude

    • interacting field algebra of observables, Bogoliubov's formula

• GNS construction

• theorems

  • order-theoretic structure in quantum mechanics

    • Gleason's theorem

    • Alfsen-Shultz theorem

    • Harding-Döring-Hamhalter theorem

    • Kochen-Specker theorem

    • Nuiten's lemma

  • Wigner's theorem

  • no-cloning theorem

  • Bell's theorem

References

For instance

• Claudio Scrucca, section 1.6 in Advanced quantum field theory pdf

• José Edelstein, page 2 of Lecture 8: 1-loop closed string vacuum amplitude, 2013 (pdf)

• Daniel Quillen, Determinants of Cauchy-Riemann Operators over a Riemann Surface, Functional Anal.

  Appl. 19 (1985) 31.

• Daniel Freed, On determinant line bundles, Math. aspects of string theory, ed. S. T. Yau, World Sci. Publ. 1987, (revised pdf, dg-ga/9505002)

• Jia Qiu, section 2.8 of Lecture notes on topological field theory arXiv:1201.5550

The application to the axion solution to the strong CP problem is due to

• Cumrun Vafa, Edward Witten, Parity Conservation in Quantum Chromodynamics Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 535 (1984) (publisher)