Stress-energy tensor for a quantised bulk scalar field in the Randall-Sundrum brane model

TL;DR

This paper computes the vacuum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor for a quantised bulk scalar in the Randall-Sundrum model, revealing divergences near branes that impact model stability and radion stabilization approaches.

Contribution

It provides a detailed calculation of the stress-energy tensor in the Randall-Sundrum model and discusses its implications for model self-consistency and stabilization methods.

Findings

Stress-energy tensor diverges near branes

Implications for radion stabilization methods

Complexity affects effective potential calculations

Abstract

We calculate the vacuum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor for a quantised bulk scalar field in the Randall-Sundrum model, and discuss the consequences of its local behaviour for the self-consistency of the model. We find that, in general, the stress-energy tensor diverges in the vicinity of the branes. Our main conclusion is that the stress-energy tensor is sufficiently complicated that it has implications for the effective potential, or radion stabilisation, methods that have so far been used.