Exact solutions in quantum field theory under rotation

TL;DR

This paper explores the existence and properties of rotating states in quantum field theory, showing their absence for scalars but constructibility for fermions, with exact calculations in the massless Dirac case and comparisons to kinetic theory.

Contribution

It provides the first explicit construction of rotating vacuum and thermal states for the Dirac field and analyzes their properties in quantum field theory.

Findings

Rotating states do not exist for scalar fields on unbounded Minkowski space.

Exact expectation values are computed for massless Dirac fields in rotating states.

Quantum results are compared with relativistic kinetic theory predictions.

Abstract

We discuss the construction and properties of rigidly-rotating states for free scalar and fermion fields in quantum field theory. On unbounded Minkowski space-time, we explain why such states do not exist for scalars. For the Dirac field, we are able to construct rotating vacuum and thermal states, for which expectation values can be computed exactly in the massless case. We compare these quantum expectation values with the corresponding quantities derived in relativistic kinetic theory.