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Main Authors: Becattini, F., Palli, F.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.13975
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author Becattini, F.
Palli, F.
author_facet Becattini, F.
Palli, F.
contents The mean value of the stress-energy tensor of a given quantum field theory at global thermodynamic equilibrium in a curved space-time can be expressed in terms of the derivatives of the Killing four-temperature field and the derivatives of the metric tensor. Its asymptotic expansion about zero includes an analytic part made of integer powers of these derivatives - corresponding to the so-called gradient expansion - as well as non-perturbative corrections. By using available exact solutions for the free real massless scalar field, we show that in the case of Minkowski, de Sitter, anti-de Sitter, and closed Einstein universe, the analytic part - obtained through the procedure of analytic distillation - has a finite number of terms and it is the same once expressed in a covariant form. On the other hand, non-universal terms are non-analytic in these derivatives and correspond to boundary conditions or to specific global properties of the space-time. We argue that the universality of the analytic part extends to any quantum field theory on a curved background.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_13975
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Universal analytic dependence of the stress-energy tensor at thermodynamic equilibrium in curved space-time
Becattini, F.
Palli, F.
High Energy Physics - Theory
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
The mean value of the stress-energy tensor of a given quantum field theory at global thermodynamic equilibrium in a curved space-time can be expressed in terms of the derivatives of the Killing four-temperature field and the derivatives of the metric tensor. Its asymptotic expansion about zero includes an analytic part made of integer powers of these derivatives - corresponding to the so-called gradient expansion - as well as non-perturbative corrections. By using available exact solutions for the free real massless scalar field, we show that in the case of Minkowski, de Sitter, anti-de Sitter, and closed Einstein universe, the analytic part - obtained through the procedure of analytic distillation - has a finite number of terms and it is the same once expressed in a covariant form. On the other hand, non-universal terms are non-analytic in these derivatives and correspond to boundary conditions or to specific global properties of the space-time. We argue that the universality of the analytic part extends to any quantum field theory on a curved background.
title Universal analytic dependence of the stress-energy tensor at thermodynamic equilibrium in curved space-time
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.13975