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João C. A. Barata

Publications and source records attributed to João C. A. Barata.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Vacuum fluctuations and the renormalized stress-energy tensor on a cone with arbitrary boundary conditions

We analyze the vacuum fluctuations and the stress-energy tensor of a scalar field of mass $M$ in a conical spacetime, where the topological singularity at the apex requires boundary conditions for the field equation. The necessity of boundary conditions was established by Kay and Studer in the early 1990s, while for $M=0$ stability is achieved only under Dirichlet boundary conditions, and for $M>q$ the field is stable and a localized mode emerges. This mode admits a natural interpretation as a covariant model of an extended particle detector, which allows us to investigate whahow such detectors modify the local vacuum structure. In this framework, the renormalized stress-energy tensor offers a natural way to quantify the influence of the detector on the surrounding spacetime.

hep-th↗

Invisible extended Unruh-DeWitt detector

We develop a localized particle detector model formulated as a massive quantum field on Minkowski spacetime with the spatial origin excised. To render the problem well posed at the puncture, we impose boundary conditions at the excised point, which we take to be of Robin type. This setup yields a discrete sector, given by bound state solutions of the radial equation with real, positive frequencies, which characterizes the detector. We construct the full two-point function and show its decomposition into (i) the discrete radial bound state sector, (ii) the boundary condition modified continuous sector, and (iii) the unmodified Dirichlet sector. We then compute the detector field's stress-energy tensor and prove its covariant conservation. For the specific localized modes in this setup, the discrete sector contribution cancels in the complete stress-energy tensor, leaving only boundary condition induced terms. Notably, the discrete modes crucial to localized field based detectors emerge naturally from the boundary conditions, without ad hoc confining potentials, providing a covariant framework that extends the traditional Unruh-DeWitt paradigm. This mechanism is not restricted to Minkowski spacetime; the same construction can be applied to massive fields on backgrounds with naked singularities, such as conical and global monopole spacetimes, offering a unified route to detector localization in a broad class of geometries.

hep-th↗

A categorical view of Bell's inequalities in quantum field theory

We propose a generalization of the description of Bell's inequalities in algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT) to the context of locally covariant quantum field theory (LCQFT). We use the functorial formulation of the state space as proposed in the seminal work \cite{BFV03} to show that for the suitable subcategory which consists of all possible admissible quadruples, yields a category of states over such observables which satisfy the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality. Such inequality is trivially preserved under algebraic morphisms and functoriality of the state space asserts us that it is preserved under isometric embeddings between the globally hyperbolic spacetimes where the algebras are defined and which constitute the locally covariant QFT functor.

math-ph↗

Interacting Quantum Fields on de Sitter Space

In 1975 Figari, Høegh-Krohn and Nappi constructed the P(phi)_2 model on the de Sitter space. Here we complement their work with new results, as well as by connecting this model to various areas of mathematics. In particular, i.) we discuss the causal structure of de Sitter space and the induces representations of the Lorentz group. We show that the UIRs of SO_0(1,2) for both the principal and the complementary series can be formulated on Hilbert spaces whose functions are supported on a Cauchy surface, ii.) we describe the free classical dynamical system in both its covariant and canonical form, and present the associated quantum one-particle KMS structures in the sense of Kay, iii.) we discuss the localisation properties of one-particle wave functions and how these properties are inherited by the algebras of local observables. In addition, we describe the relations between the modular objects (in the sense of Tomita-Takesaki theory) associated to wedge algebras and the representations of the Lorentz group, iv.) we connect the representations of SO(1,2) to unitary representations of SO(3) on the Euclidean sphere, and discuss how the P(phi)_2 interaction can be represented by a rotation invariant vector in the Euclidean Fock space. We present a novel Osterwalder-Schrader reconstruction theorem, which shows that physical infrared problems are absent on de Sitter space, v.) we explain how the generators of the boosts and the rotations for the interacting quantum field theory arise arise from the stress-energy tensor. Finally, we show that the interacting quantum fields satisfy the equations of motion in their covariant form. In summary, we argue that the de Sitter P(phi)_2 model is the simplest and most explicit relativistic quantum field theory, which satisfies basic expectations, like covariance, particle creation, stability and finite speed of light.

math-ph↗

Wavepackets on de Sitter spacetime

We construct wavepackets on de Sitter spacetime, with masses consistently defined from the eigenvalues of an irreducible representation of a Casimir element in the universal enveloping algebra of the Lorentz algebra and analyse their asymptotic behaviour. Furthermore, we show that, in the limit as the de Sitter radius tends to infinity, the wavepackets tend to the wavepackets of Minkowski spacetime and the plane waves arising after contraction have support sharply located on the mass shell.

math-ph↗

Phase factors of periodically driven two-level systems

Using a perturbative solution for a periodically driven two-level quantum system, we show how to obtain phase factors for both a two-level quantum system and two two-level quantum systems non-interacting and interacting. The method is easily implemented by numerical routines and presents the advantage of being stable for long-time periods. We furthermore explore the possibility of implementing a quantum phase gate using the perturbative solution.

quant-ph↗