Tunnelling and dynamical violation of the Null Energy Condition

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new dynamical mechanism using standard quantum field theory and a scalar field to violate the Null Energy Condition, with potential implications for early universe cosmology.

Contribution

It introduces an independent dynamical violation mechanism of the Null Energy Condition using minimal ingredients, distinct from the Casimir effect.

Findings

Mechanism violates the Null Energy Condition without exotic matter.

Averaged Null Energy Condition remains intact.

Potential impact on early universe cosmology.

Abstract

The Null Energy Condition is considered the most fundamental of the energy conditions, on which several key results, such as the singularity theorems, are based. The Casimir effect is one of the rare equilibrium mechanisms by which it is breached without invoking modified gravity or non-minimal couplings to exotic matter. In this work we propose an independent dynamical mechanism by which it is violated, with the only ingredients being standard (but non-perturbative) QFT and a minimally coupled scalar field in a double-well potential. As for the Casimir effect, we explain why the Averaged Null Energy Condition should not be violated by this mechanism. Nevertheless, the transient behaviour could have profound impacts in Early Universe Cosmology.