Complex Structures for Klein-Gordon theory on globally hyperbolic spacetimes

We develop a rigorous method to parametrize complex structures for Klein-Gordon theory in globally hyperbolic spacetimes that satisfy a completeness condition. The complex structures are conserved under time-evolution and implement unitary quantizations. They can be interpreted as corresponding to global choices of vacuum. The main ingredient in our construction is a system of operator differential equations. We provide a number of theorems ensuring that all ingredients and steps in the construction are well-defined. We apply the method to exhibit natural quantizations for certain classes of globally hyperbolic spacetimes. In particular, we consider static, expanding and Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetimes. Moreover, for a huge class of spacetimes we prove that the differential equation for the complex structure is given by the Gelfand-Dikki equation.

Partial Differential Equations and Quantum States in Curved Spacetimes

In this review paper, we discuss the relation between recent advances in the theory of partial differential equations and their applications to quantum field theory on curved spacetimes. In particular, we focus on hyperbolic propagators and the role they play in the construction of physically admissible quantum states—the so-called Hadamard states—on globally hyperbolic spacetimes. We will review the notion of a propagator and discuss how it can be constructed in an explicit and invariant fashion, first on a Riemannian manifold and then on a Lorentzian spacetime. Finally, we will recall the notion of Hadamard state and relate the latter to hyperbolic propagators via the wavefront set, a subset of the cotangent bundle capturing the information about the singularities of a distribution.

Self-Adjointness in Klein-Gordon Theory on Globally Hyperbolic Spacetimes

We prove essential self-adjointness of the spatial part of the linear Klein-Gordon operator with external potential for a large class of globally hyperbolic manifolds. The proof is conducted by a fusion of new results concerning globally hyperbolic manifolds, the theory of weighted Hilbert spaces and related functional analytic advances.

Properties of the Null Distance and Spacetime Convergence

The null distance for Lorentzian manifolds was recently introduced by Sormani and Vega. Under mild assumptions on the time function of the spacetime, the null distance gives rise to an intrinsic, conformally invariant metric that induces the manifold topology. We show when warped products of low regularity and globally hyperbolic spacetimes endowed with the null distance are (local) integral current spaces. This metric and integral current structure sets the stage for investigating convergence analogous to Riemannian geometry. Our main theorem is a general convergence result for warped product spacetimes relating uniform, Gromov–Hausdorff, and Sormani–Wenger intrinsic flat convergence of the corresponding null distances. In addition, we show that nonuniform convergence of warping functions in general leads to distinct limiting behavior, such as limits that disagree.

Inverse problems for nonlinear hyperbolic equations with disjoint sources and receivers

The article studies inverse problems of determining unknown coefficients in various semi-linear and quasi-linear wave equations given the knowledge of an associated source-to-solution map. We introduce a method to solve inverse problems for nonlinear equations using interaction of three waves that makes it possible to study the inverse problem in all globally hyperbolic spacetimes of the dimension $n+1\geqslant 3$ and with partial data. We consider the case when the set $\Omega _{\mathrm{in}}$ , where the sources are supported, and the set $\Omega _{\mathrm{out}}$ , where the observations are made, are separated. As model problems we study both a quasi-linear equation and a semi-linear wave equation and show in each case that it is possible to uniquely recover the background metric up to the natural obstructions for uniqueness that is governed by finite speed of propagation for the wave equation and a gauge corresponding to change of coordinates. The proof consists of two independent components. In the geometric part of the article we introduce a novel geometrical object, the three-to-one scattering relation. We show that this relation determines uniquely the topological, differential and conformal structures of the Lorentzian manifold in a causal diamond set that is the intersection of the future of the point $p_{in}\in \Omega _{\mathrm{in}}$ and the past of the point $p_{out}\in \Omega _{\mathrm{out}}$ . In the analytic part of the article we study multiple-fold linearisation of the nonlinear wave equation using Gaussian beams. We show that the source-to-solution map, corresponding to sources in $\Omega _{\mathrm{in}}$ and observations in $\Omega _{\mathrm{out}}$ , determines the three-to-one scattering relation. The methods developed in the article do not require any assumptions on the conjugate or cut points.