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arXiv · 1211.1342

Representing the Vacuum Polarization on de Sitter

Katie E. Leonard·T. Prokopec·R. P. Woodard
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Abstract

Previous studies of the vacuum polarization on de Sitter have demonstrated that there is a simple, noncovariant representation of it in which the physics is transparent. There is also a cumbersome, covariant representation in which the physics is obscure. Despite being unwieldy, the latter form has a powerful appeal for those who are concerned about de Sitter invariance. We show that nothing is lost by employing the simple, noncovariant representation because there is a closed form procedure for converting its structure functions to those of the covariant representation. We also present a vastly improved technique for reading off the noncovariant structure functions from the primitive diagrams. And we discuss the issue of representing the vacuum polarization for a general metric background.

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Katie E. Leonard, T. Prokopec, R. P. Woodard. 2012-11-06. Representing the Vacuum Polarization on de Sitter. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4793987

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