A holographic proof of the averaged null energy condition

TL;DR

This paper uses the AdS/CFT correspondence to provide a holographic proof of the averaged null energy condition (ANEC) for certain strongly coupled conformal field theories, linking energy conditions to causality in the bulk.

Contribution

It presents the first holographic proof of the ANEC for a class of strongly coupled conformal field theories in flat spacetime.

Findings

ANEC holds for the studied class of theories

Violating ANEC would imply acausal bulk propagation

Supports the consistency of energy conditions in holography

Abstract

The averaged null energy conditions (ANEC) states that, along a complete null curve, the negative energy fluctuations of a quantum field must be balanced by positive energy fluctuations. We use the AdS/CFT correspondence to prove the ANEC for a class of strongly coupled conformal field theories in flat spacetime. A violation of the ANEC in the field theory would lead to acausal propagation of signals in the bulk.