Scalar Thermal Field Theory for a Rotating Plasma

Fuente: arXiv
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1. Verfasser: Salvio, Alberto
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Salvio, Alberto
author_facet Salvio, Alberto
contents This paper initiates the systematic study of thermal field theory for generic equilibrium density matrices, which feature arbitrary values not only of temperature and chemical potentials, but also of average angular momentum. The focus here is on scalar fields, although some results also apply to fields with arbitrary spins. A general technique to compute ensemble averages is provided. Moreover, path-integral methods are developed to study thermal Green's functions (with an arbitrary number of points) in generic theories, which cover both the real-time and imaginary-time formalism. It is shown that, while the average angular momentum, like the chemical potentials, does not contribute positively to the Euclidean action, its negative contributions can be compensated by some other contributions that are instead positive, at least in some cases, e.g. when the chemical potentials vanish. As an application of the developed general formalism, it is shown that the production of particles weakly coupled to a rotating plasma can be significantly enhanced compared to the non-rotating case. The Higgs boson production through a portal coupling to a dark sector in the early universe is studied in some detail. The findings of this paper can also be useful, for example, to investigate the physics of rotating stars, ordinary and primordial black holes and more exotic compact objects.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_09677
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Scalar Thermal Field Theory for a Rotating Plasma
Salvio, Alberto
High Energy Physics - Theory
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Lattice
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
This paper initiates the systematic study of thermal field theory for generic equilibrium density matrices, which feature arbitrary values not only of temperature and chemical potentials, but also of average angular momentum. The focus here is on scalar fields, although some results also apply to fields with arbitrary spins. A general technique to compute ensemble averages is provided. Moreover, path-integral methods are developed to study thermal Green's functions (with an arbitrary number of points) in generic theories, which cover both the real-time and imaginary-time formalism. It is shown that, while the average angular momentum, like the chemical potentials, does not contribute positively to the Euclidean action, its negative contributions can be compensated by some other contributions that are instead positive, at least in some cases, e.g. when the chemical potentials vanish. As an application of the developed general formalism, it is shown that the production of particles weakly coupled to a rotating plasma can be significantly enhanced compared to the non-rotating case. The Higgs boson production through a portal coupling to a dark sector in the early universe is studied in some detail. The findings of this paper can also be useful, for example, to investigate the physics of rotating stars, ordinary and primordial black holes and more exotic compact objects.
title Scalar Thermal Field Theory for a Rotating Plasma
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Lattice
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.09677