Torque Anomaly in Quantum Field Theory

TL;DR

This paper investigates a torque anomaly in quantum field theory where the expected relationship between torque and energy is violated inside a wedge-shaped region, highlighting a fundamental inconsistency in the stress tensor for electromagnetic fields.

Contribution

It identifies and analyzes a fundamental torque anomaly in quantum field theory that cannot be attributed to regularization artifacts, challenging existing assumptions.

Findings

The energy density and pressure violate expected torque-energy relationships.

The anomaly persists in the Deutsch--Candelas stress tensor without regularization.

The problem is distinct from boundary pressure anomalies.

Abstract

The expectation values of energy density and pressure of a quantum field inside a wedge-shaped region appear to violate the expected relationship between torque and total energy as a function of angle. In particular, this is true of the well-known Deutsch--Candelas stress tensor for the electromagnetic field, whose definition requires no regularization except possibly at the vertex. Unlike a similar anomaly in the pressure exerted by a reflecting boundary against a perpendicular wall, this problem cannot be dismissed as an artifact of an ad hoc regularization.