Super-acceleration from massless, minimally coupled φ4

V. K. Onemli*, R. P. Woodard

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

311 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We derive a simple form for the propagator of a massless, minimally coupled scalar in a locally de Sitter geometry of arbitrary spacetime dimension. We then employ it to compute the fully renormalized stress tensor at one- and two-loop orders for a massless, minimally coupled 04 theory which is released in Bunch-Davies vacuum at t = 0 in co-moving coordinates. In this system, the uncertainty principle elevates the scalar above the minimum of its potential, resulting in a phase of super-acceleration. With the non-derivative self-interaction the scalar's breaking of de Sitter invariance becomes observable. It is also worth noting that the weak-energy condition is violated on cosmological scales. An interesting subsidiary result is that cancelling overlapping divergences in the stress tensor requires a conformal counterterm which has no effect on purely scalar diagrams.

Original languageEnglish
Article number311
Pages (from-to)4607-4626
Number of pages20
JournalClassical and Quantum Gravity
Volume19
Issue number17
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Sept 2002
Externally publishedYes

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